US Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis names three wildcard picks

US Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis rounded out her team with three wild-card picks on Tuesday.

Lewis selected Lexi Thompson, Jennifer Kupcho and Sarah Schmelzel.

Thompson will be making her seventh consecutive Solheim Cup appearance, which could be her final playing appearance as she announced earlier this season that she will retire from full-time play after this year.

Thompson, 29, has a 9-7-7 career record in the matches. Lewis, who revealed the picks live on social media, noted that Thompson’s experience was a big factor in her participation. Thompson is one of two American players (Alison Lee, 2015) to have been part of a winning Solheim Cup team.

Kupcho, 27, will be making her third consecutive Cup appearance. She has a 2-3-2 record from 2021 and ’23.

Schmelzel, 30, will be a Solheim Cup rookie, joining automatic qualifier Lauren Coughlin as U.S. debutants. Schmelzel had four straight top-10s earlier this season, including a runner-up finish at the Blue Bay LPGA in China.

Schmelzel has never won a tour, while Kupcho’s last victory was in 2022, a three-tour win streak, and Thompson’s last victory was in 2019.

Kupcho, however, has three top-5s since May, including a runner-up finish in the Dow Championship team event with fellow US Solheim Cup member Ally Ewing. Thompson has three top-10s since the US Women’s Open in June.

Angel Yin, who played on the 2023 U.S. team and was ahead of all three players in the final standings, was among those passed over, as was Cheyenne Knight, another ’23 team member who was ahead of Thompson in the standings.

Here’s a look at the full American roster:

• Nelly Korda

• Lilia Vu

• Lauren Coughlin

• Ally Ewing

• Allisen Corpuz

• Megan Khang

• Andrea Lee

• Rose Zhang

• Alison Lee

• Sarah Schmelzel (Captain’s Choice)

• Jennifer Kupcho (captain’s choice)

• Lexi Thompson (captain’s choice)

European Solheim Cup captain Suzann Pettersen her team rounded out Monday.

The 19th Solheim Cup will be held from September 13-15 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia. Europe has won the cup in each of the last three competitions, after drawing in Spain last year to retain possession.

The Solheim Cup is held biennially in an attempt to have an even number of matches played each year.