U.S. Solheim Cup team announces Angela Stanford as newest captain
Angela Stanford will lead the U.S. side against Europe in 2026 in the Netherlands.
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For Angela Stanford, it seems the fourth time’s the charm.
On Thursday morning, Stanford was named captain of the 2026 U.S. Solheim Cup team — turning the three-time assistant captain (and six-time Solheim Cupper) into a first-time captain ahead of the event’s return to the Netherlands in the fall of ’26.
Stanford assumes the role of Solheim Cup captain from Stacy Lewis, who led consecutive U.S. Solheim Cup teams in consecutive years as the event shifted from odd years (at Finca Cortesin, Spain in 2023) back to even (at RTJ Golf Club in Washington, D.C. in 2024). Lewis, who took the ’23 U.S. team to the brink of victory in Spain and followed that up with a resounding win in D.C. in ’24, leaves behind a U.S. side with an influx of young talent and established veteran leaders (like Nelly Korda and Megan Khang).
Stanford will lead a U.S. side looking for its first win on road soil in a decade in the Solheim Cup. Women’s golf’s counter to the Ryder Cup has featured less of the home-field advantage typically conferred to the Ryder Cup, which has not seen a U.S. road win in three decades. Still, the road environment at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands will mark a unique challenge for the American side — one which Stanford is well-equipped to understand. She aided Lewis’ efforts at the ’23 Solheim Cup in Spain, serving as an assistant captain, and secured the winning point in the American side’s last road victory at the 2015 Cup in Germany.
“I’m extremely grateful to be named the next American captain for the Solheim Cup and join a list of my heroes in the game. I’ve always believed that I represent more than myself on the LPGA Tour, and there is no greater honor than representing your country,” Stanford said in a release announcing her captaincy. “I consider this the pinnacle of my career, and I’m looking forward to leading our players to the Netherlands in 2026.”
The promotion to captain marks the latest twist in a turbulent professional career for Stanford, who retired at the end of a 24-year run on the LPGA last fall. Stanford won seven times in her two-plus decades on Tour, including a career-defining win at the Evian Championship, her first major victory, in 2018.
“Angela Stanford will certainly be a wonderful captain for the U.S. Team at the 2026 Solheim Cup,” interim LPGA Commissioner Liz Moore said in the release. “Angela has always been a spark on and off the course, a true leader and a dedicated partner to her teammates. It’s now her time to take the helm of the U.S. Team, and I have no doubt that she will lead her squad to a successful week in the Netherlands.”
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