When Leona Maguire posted a welcome top-10 finish at the Scottish Open last month, she gave European captain Anna Nordqvist exactly the signal she needed. The Irish golfer had missed the cut in four of her previous six tournaments, and her world ranking had slipped to 79th. But Nordqvist saw something in Maguire's love for the Solheim Cup that trumped any recent rough patch. "Leona has proved herself at the Solheim Cup," Nordqvist said. "She has a huge passion for the European team and her record speaks for itself."
Maguire earned one of Europe's four wildcard picks on Wednesday, joining Britain's Mimi Rhodes and rookies Julia Lopez Ramirez of Spain and France's Nastasia Nadaud on the team that will face the United States at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands starting September 11. It will be Maguire's fourth appearance, and her record is remarkable: eight wins, one half-point, and just three losses across 12 matches in three previous Cups. In her debut five years ago, she won four and a half points out of five.
"I love the Solheim Cup," Maguire said. "It brings the best out of my game and I love being part of the team. I can't wait to represent Europe for the fourth time and to be back on European soil."
Rhodes, 24, will be making her debut despite a patchy season that saw her miss the weekend cut in four straight tournaments before a tied-51st finish at the Scottish Open. The Englishwoman already has three victories on the Ladies European Tour, including a standout performance that helped Great Britain and Ireland win the Curtis Cup at Sunningdale in 2024. "To now be selected for the 2026 Solheim Cup is beyond anything I imagined," Rhodes said. "I'm so proud to represent Team Europe so early in my professional career."
Spain's Lopez Ramirez, 23, is in her second season on the LPGA Tour but will be experiencing her first Solheim Cup. "It's so cool," she said. "This is what you dream of when you're a kid to be on the team and be able to experience it and all the big crowds. I'm on cloud nine."
Nadaud of France rounds out the rookie picks. She won the season-ending Andalucia Costa del Sol Open de Espana last year, earned her LPGA card, and remarkably made the cut in all five major tournaments so far this season. "If you'd have told me six months ago I'd be on the European Solheim Cup team, I wouldn't have believed you," Nadaud said. "It's a dream come true."
With these three rookies plus automatically-qualifying Britain's Lottie Woad, Europe will field four debutantes as they try to reclaim the trophy after losing to the United States in Virginia two years ago. Nordqvist believes the fresh energy will serve the team well. "Nastasia is a great young player who has been getting better and better," the captain said of Nadaud.
The United States team will be announced by captain Angela Stanford on August 24, with the match beginning September 11 at Bernardus — the first time the Solheim Cup has been held in the Netherlands.