Angela Stanford, who competed in the Solheim Cup six times as a player and served as a vice captain in the past three, will captain the U.S. team when it takes on Europe in the Netherlands next year, the LPGA announced Thursday.
Stanford, whose seven LPGA Tour victories included a major title at the 2018 Evian Championship, retired from full-time competitive golf after the 2024 season.
The next Solheim Cup will be played Sept. 11-13, 2026, at Bernardus Golf in Cromvoirt, Netherlands.
“I think being American, living in this country, has given me opportunities that I don’t know where you can have anywhere else in the world,” Stanford told ESPN. “I’ve gotten to live this dream to be a professional golfer, and now I get to represent the red, white and blue again. I love being an American, and I’ve loved playing for my country, and I’m going to love representing my country again.”
Stanford replaces Stacy Lewis, who guided the U.S. team to a 1-0-1 record in the past two Solheim Cups. The Americans won 15 ½-12 ½ at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia, in September for their first victory since 2017. The European squad retained the cup with a 14-14 tie the previous year at Finca Cortesin in Andalusia, Spain.
The U.S. team has an 11-7-1 record since 1990, though the American squad has a 3-6 record outside the U.S.
