Team USA captain Angela Stanford insists Angel Yin will be fit to play against Team Europe this week in the Solheim Cup and has backed her side to win away to the Netherlands.
Yin has not completed a 72-hole tournament since May, missing the US Women’s Open in June before withdrawing mid-tournament from the KPMG PGA Women’s Championship later that month due to illness.
The two-time LPGA Tour winner qualified second on the US Solheim Cup points table despite missing two major matches of the season with an undisclosed stomach problem that saw her lose around 2.5 stone in weight.
Yin fell 13 shots short of her only LPGA Tour star since the FM Championship, though Stanford says the 27-year-old can still play a role in helping Team USA retain the trophy at Bernardus Golf.
“She’s here and she’s played two practice rounds,” Stanford said at her press conference. “She will play, because that is in the spirit of this competition.
“Every time we play a Solheim Cup, there is a captain’s agreement and in that we determine who should play how many games. It’s been a while for Solheim, that the players will play once before Sunday for sure.
“We’re still trying to assess and we’re watching, but she’s here. She’s very happy to be here and playing.”
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Watch a selection of the best shots from Solheim Cup history including Carlota Ciganda, Lexi Thompson and Team Europe captain Anna Nordqvist
Lilia Vu is on the ground in the Netherlands for Team USA and was seen in uniform during Tuesday’s training session, with the former world No. 1 – who had half a point in the 2024 win – a possible last-minute option if required.
The United States are chasing their first win on European soil since 2015 and their first back-to-back victories in the biennial competition since 2017, with Stanford confident of their side enjoying famous success abroad.
“When you play in Europe, you have to be mentally strong and you have to be together as a team,” Stanford explained. “I think they’ve got it, I really have – they’re all on the same page.
“We’ve talked about what led up to this event. We’ll talk about it again before we go out and play on Thursday night. There’s nothing I need to say to them because they want to win as well.
Stanford was part of the last American team to win on European soil in 2015
“The golf itself is so good you’re going to see great golf. It’s only what you have deep that can get you over the finish line.”
Stanford added: “They all seem to be in a good space. We’re not at our peak yet. They’re just settling in, they’re trying to learn the golf course and they’re hitting great shots. So that was fun to watch.
“Hopefully the summit will lead every session and I hope to start on Friday morning.”
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Watch a selection of the best shots from Solheim Cup history including Carlota Ciganda, Lexi Thompson and Team Europe captain Anna Nordqvist
When is the Solheim Cup live on Sky Sports?
Sky Sports Golf will have at least 12 hours of live coverage from the first two days, with coverage starting at 6am on Friday and Saturday ahead of the opening foursome which kicks off at 6.40am (7.40am local time).
The afternoon foursomes are scheduled to begin at 12:05pm (1:05pm local time) on both days, with coverage continuing until after the final tee, while Sunday’s singles coverage begins at 9:00am before the opening tee is shot at 10:10am.
Sky Sports+ will have live coverage of the closing ceremony from 5.30pm on Sunday, following the crowning of the Solheim Cup winner, while the opening ceremony on Thursday at 4.30pm will reveal the opening day pairings.
Who will win the Solheim Cup? Watch Team Europe’s bid to reclaim the trophy exclusively live on Sky Sports, with all three days live from September 11-13 on Sky Sports Golf. Get the latest Sky Sports offers OR transmission without contract in TANI.
