Here is a breakdown of European captain Carin Koch’s 12-player roster for the 14th Solheim Cup, which will be Sept. 18-20 at St. Leon-Rot Golf Club in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Click here for U.S. team capsules. The Europeans are the reigning champion, having won, 18-10, at Colorado Golf Club in 2012.
Carlota Ciganda
Age: 25
Record: 4-3-1 (3rd appearance)
World ranking: 54th
LPGA/LET victories: 0/2
The lowdown: Ciganda was a part of Spain’s victorious International Crown team last year. She went undefeated in her first Solheim appearance two years ago and is an impressive 6-1-0 in international team play in the last two years.
Sandra Gal
Age: 30
Record: 0-2-1 (2nd appearance)
World ranking: 42nd
LPGA/LET victories: 1/0
The lowdown: Gal last won at the 2011 Kia Classic and returns to Team Europe for the first time since that year. The German native will look to improve upon a disappointing start to her Solheim career, after going winless in her lone appearance and losing, 6 and 5, to Brittany Lang in singles.
Caroline Hedwall
Age: 26
Record: 7-1-1 (3rd appearance)
World ranking: 117th
LPGA/LET victories: 0/5
The lowdown: Hedwall was an undefeated 5-0-0 two years ago, becoming the first woman in Solheim history to win five matches in a single competition. She has taken an impressive 7 ½ out of nine total points available in her two Solheim appearances.
Charley Hull
Age: 19
Record: 2-1-0 (2nd appearance)
World ranking: 50th
LPGA/LET victories: 0/1
The lowdown: The 2013 LET Rookie of the Year broke through for her first professional victory at the 2014 Lalla Meryem Cup. Hull, then just a 17-year-old captain’s pick, took down U.S. stalwart Paula Creamer, 5 and 4, in 2013, notching the first point for either team during Sunday singles.
Karine Icher
Age: 36
Record: 3-3-1 (3rd appearance)
World ranking: 58th
LPGA/LET victories: 0/5
The lowdown: Icher returned to the Solheim Cup in 2013 for the first time since 2002 and went 2-1-1 in Colorado. She has not won an individual title since 2005.
Caroline Masson
Age: 26
Record: 2-1-1 (2nd appearance)
World ranking: 81st
LPGA/LET victories: 0/1
The lowdown: Masson lost just won match in her Solheim debut in 2013, going down, 4 and 3, to Lexi Thompson in singles. She was part of Caroline Hedwall’s history-making run that year, winning two fourball matches with the Swede.
Catriona Matthew
Age: 46
Record: 12-9-8 (8th appearance)
World ranking: 55th
LPGA/LET victories: 4/6 (one major)
The lowdown: The 2009 Women’s British champion and the oldest member of the team, Matthew, somewhat surprisingly given the margin victory, did not win a match in 2013, going 0-2-2. Matthew made her first Solheim appearance in 1998 and has been a part of Team Europe in each edition since 2003.
Azahara Munoz
Age: 27
Record: 4-3-1 (3rd appearance)
World ranking: 26th
LPGA/LET victories: 1/3
The lowdown: This marks the third straight year Muñoz will represent her country in team play, after winning the Solheim Cup in 2013 and the inaugural International Crown for her native Spain in 2014. Muñoz enjoyed a career year in 2014, winning the Ladies French Open for the second time and recording two major top-10s.
Gwladys Nocera
Age: 40
Record: 5-3-2 (4th appearance)
World ranking: 64th
LPGA/LET victories: 0/14
The lowdown: A native of France, Nocera is a two-time LET Player of the Year (2006, 2008) who is making her first Solheim appearance since 2009. Nocera did not lose in her last appearance, posting a 3-0-1 record. The lone halve came in a singles match with this year’s U.S. captain, Juli Inkster.
Anna Nordqvist
Age: 28
Record: 6-5-1 (4th appearance)
World ranking: 12th
LPGA/LET victories: 5/2 (one major)
The lowdown: The 2009 McDonald’s LPGA champion has three LPGA wins in the last two years, including her most recent victory at the ShopRite in May. Nordqvist, in 2013, recorded the first hole-in-one in Solheim history. Her ace on the 17th green at Colorado Golf Club closed out a Saturday alternate-shot match with partner Caroline Hedwall against Morgan Pressel and Jessica Korda.
Suzann Pettersen
Age: 34
Record: 14-9-6 (8th appearance)
World ranking: 8th
LPGA/LET victories: 15/7 (two majors)
The lowdown: Pettersen, who won six times worldwide in 2013 and then struggled through 2014, has spent the last nine months remodeling her game under the tutelage of Butch Harmon. Their hard work paid off in June, when Pettersen won the Manulife LPGA Classic, ending a 19-month winless drought.
Melissa Reid
Age: 27
Record: 1-3-0 (2nd appearance)
World ranking: 85th
LPGA/LET victories: 0/5
The lowdown: Reid won the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open for the second time in May, and posted her best finish in a major, a T-9 at the Women’s British, in early August. She returns to the Solheim Cup after losing three matches by just four holes in 2011 and missing out on the festivities in 2013.