Team Europe’s PING Junior Solheim Cup captain Anne Van Dam believes her side have a very good chance of winning back the trophy from Team USA at Bernardus Golf this week, adding her players will “fight to the last putt” to secure victory. Twelve of Europe’s best golfers between the ages of 12 and 18 are gearing up to take on Team USA between September 7 and 8 in the PING Junior Solheim Cup at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands. The tournament will take place three days before the Solheim Cup gets under way on September 11, live on Sky Sports. It will mark the first time that both the PING Junior Solheim Cup and the Solheim Cup have been played on the same course in the same week.
The 2026 event will also be the first time that a PING Junior Solheim Cup captain will also concurrently serve as a Solheim Cup vice-captain, with Van Dam being one of Anna Nordqvist’s vice-captains. Van Dam’s former PING Junior Solheim Cup team-mate Bronte Law will act as the European skipper’s vice-captain. Morgan Pressel is Team USA’s captain, and her side are the favourites coming into the event. They are out to defend their title after they claimed victory at the Army-Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia in 2024.
Despite Team USA’s strength, Van Dam is optimistic about her side’s chances. “My team are all fighters,” Van Dam said. “One thing they have in common is they all have big personalities and very feisty attitudes. “I know they will fight hard to the last putt.
That’s sometimes a very hard thing to teach someone. You either have that, or you don’t. Everyone on our team has that. “I’m very excited to see that come out and have them fight for it.
I know Europe is a little bit behind, maybe in the total standings, and I would love for them to catch up.” Team USA leads Team Europe with an all-time record 8-4-1 at the PING Junior Solheim Cup, but the last time these two sides met on European soil in 2023, Team Europe emerged victorious, beating Team USA 15-9 in Spain. “I’m very excited for the next couple of days and to follow them throughout the rest of their careers. There’s a lot of superstars on the team,” Van Dam added. “I can tell from the moment I started talking to my players how much they are looking forward to the opportunity to hopefully learn a lot from me and Bronte [Law].
“For them, playing on the same venue as the Solheim Cup is groundbreaking.” The top six European players in the PING Junior Solheim Cup rankings after the conclusion of the R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship in August automatically qualified for Team Europe. Van Dam selected Spain’s Marta Muñoz as one of her six captain’s picks, after she beat her compatriot Adriana García Terol in the 36-hole final of the R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship in August. García Terol qualified for Team Europe automatically via the PING Junior Solheim Cup rankings, alongside Switzerland’s Lana Guyot, who reached the semi-finals of the R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship. England’s Lauren Crump, who won the Annika Invitational Europe in Sweden in June, also qualified via the Ping Junior Solheim Cup rankings, and is joined by her compatriot Annabel Peaford, who was selected as a captain’s pick.
Asterisk Talley, who played for Team USA in 2023 and 2024, headlines the list of names included in Pressel’s team. She is ranked No 1 in the Rolex American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) rankings and has had an excellent year, winning at the US Women’s Amateur Championship in August. Amelie Zalsman has been in excellent form in 2026, recording top-five finishes at all of her AGJA starts this season, and placed as a runner-up in the US Girls’ Junior Championship in July. Anna Fang helped guide Team USA to victory at the 2024 PING Junior Solheim Cup and has risen to 52nd in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings after enjoying a brilliant 12 months, notably placing as a runner-up at the Rolex Tournament of Champions in 2025.
European captain Van Dam and her vice-captain Law both featured in the 2013 PING Junior Solheim Cup and will bring plenty of experience to Team Europe. Team USA stars Nelly Korda, Lexi Thompson and Alison Lee have all played in the PING Junior Solheim Cup. On the European side, players including Charley Hull, Georgia Hall and 2026 Solheim Cup captain Nordqvist have previously played. Monday September 7: Six four-ball matches and six foursomes matches Who will win the Solheim Cup?
Watch Team Europe’s bid to regain the trophy exclusively live on Sky Sports, with all three days live from September 11-13 on Sky Sports Golf. Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
