As expected, Angela Stanford was named Thursday as the next U.S. Solheim Cup captain for the 2026 matches, Sept. 11-13, at Bernardus Golf in North Brabant, Netherlands.
Here’s some need-to-know information on the Americans’ new leader:
Who is Angela Stanford?
She’s a 47-year-old Saginaw, Texas, native and resident who graduated from Texas Christian University in 2000 and thereafter turned pro.
Stanford’s LPGA career
She joined the tour in 2001 and didn’t finish outside the top 100 in season earnings until 2019. She responded the following year by winning and finishing 13th on the money list.
Stanford won seven times in her LPGA career, with her first in 2003 and her last in 2020 — in her native Texas, no less. She finished the 2008 and 2009 seasons ranked inside the top 10 in the world.
Stanford became a major champion by overcoming a five-shot, final-round deficit at the 2018 Evian Championship, in her 18th season on tour. She nearly won the U.S. Women’s Open, 15 years prior, losing to Hilary Lunke as part of a three-person playoff.
She has also won back-to-back Senior LPGA Championship titles on the Legends Tour (open to players age 45 and over).
Stanford, who made an LPGA-record 98 consecutive major starts, announced her retirement last year, playing her final event in November’s Lotte Championship.
Stanford’s Solheim Cup career
She has played on six U.S. teams, going 3-3. Her individual record in those matches is 4-13-3, but her shining moment came in 2015.
Having not won a Solheim Cup point in six years, she defeated future two-time European captain Suzann Pettersen, 2 and 1, in singles to clinch a U.S. victory. It also marks the last time America won on European soil.
Stanford has been an assistant captain for the U.S. in each of the last three cups.
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