47-year-old Will Captain Team USA next fall in the Netherlands against a European team Led by Anna Nordqvist. USA won the last cup of Solheim Back in September with a convincing victory in Robert Trent Jones Golf Club As they go to Europe next fall, seeking to become the first US team to win foreign land in more than a decade.
“I am extremely grateful to be named the other American captain for the Solheim Cup and join a list of my heroes in the game,” Stanford said. “I consider this peak of my career, and I look forward to leading our players in the Netherlands in 2026.”
Stanford, who won seven times during her LPGA career, played in six Solheim Cup teams, including the latest US team to win on foreign land again in 2015. She also served as a captain in the last three US Cup teams.
“Angela Stanford will surely be a wonderful captain for the US team at the Solheim 2026 Cup,” said LPGA Commissioner Liz Moore. “Angela has always been a spark and outside the course, a real leader and a devoted partner to her teammates. Now it’s her time to get the leader of the US team, and I have no doubt that she will take her team in a successful week to the Netherlands.”
Before her announcement as the other leader of Team USA, Golf.com There was a chance to sit with Stanford to discuss her approach to catching a successful team. Check below.
Golf: Angela, first, congratulations. Tell me about the emotions you felt when you discovered that you will be named Solheim Cup’s team captain.
Angela Stanford: When Liz Moore asked me to be a captain, I just started crying. I cried so much that I can’t even say the word “yes”. Liz asked, “I think it’s a yes, right?” And I managed to say, “It is also. Yes it is.”
G: In which restaurant were you when you got the call?
AS: I was at the Drover Hotel. I think the restaurant is called 97 West, but honestly, I don’t remember the name of the restaurant inside. But, yes, I was there.
G: Of course, you have been around the game for a while. Did you learn more from your game days in the Solheim Cup you will bring to this captain?
AS: I think the most important thing is to be in a position where players should not worry about anything except to play golf. My goal is to do whatever I can to place them in a position to be successful. What can I care about before they get there too? I would like to go to play the course, hopefully in September during the same dates (this year). I would like players to go play too, but I understand that schedules and travel may not allow them. So if I can play many times and help prepare the team in that way, that’s something I will do. The Thelli is to make sure that when they reach the Netherlands, players should not worry about anything except to play golf. For me, when I played my best in Solheim’s cups, it was because I didn’t worry about my family’s accommodations or if I had tickets. All those small details had already taken care of. If I can do it so that the players have nothing to worry about, here I want to go that week.
G: What did you learn most from your predecessor, Stacy Lewis, you will take with you to the Netherlands?
AS: Many of what Stacy did was to prepare, and I think we are alike in that sense. I was not surprised by how much he wanted to be at the top of every detail because I feel the same way. I want to know exactly why things are happening. Being prepared is essential because playing in Europe is a completely different challenge. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to be in the Solheim Cup in Spain as an assistant, and that gave me another perspective. When you are an assistant, you are concentrated throughout the team, but when you are a player, you are focused only on yourself. This experience really helped me understand the dynamics, and I hope I can get this team as prepared as everything they have to do when they get there is to play their best golf.
G: Stacy was known for its very analytical direction. How much will you rely on the analytics against a more intuitive approach, “intestinal forces”?
AS: Well, I’m a little older than Stacy, so I consider myself more old school. So put it, I absolutely believe in analytics – the numbers do not lie. We will definitely use data to inform our decisions, but I also trust my instincts. If something feels good or looks good, I’ll go with it. I think there should be a balance. Analytics is valuable, and we will use them, but I also believe that there is room for intestinal -based decisions, especially when it comes to feeling a situation.
G: Which past captains are you looking for most, and with whom will you rely on guidelines?
AS: This is a difficult question because I have had the privilege of playing for some amazing captains. Patty, Betsy, Beth, Meg, Rosie, Julie – each of them taught me something valuable. But the captain staying most is Betsy King in 2007. That year, we were overseas, and it was a different kind of challenge. Betsy was very serious and concentrated, and she had assistants who helped to soften her a little. Being overseas presents unique challenges, and I have learned a lot from Betsy. While I will reach all my previous captains for advice, I think I will rely on those who capture more teams overseas.
G: How different will it be preparation for a Solheim overseas cup compared to one on household land?
I have always wanted to be an overseas captain because it presents a unique challenge. I grew up playing sports in the team, and I like many challenges to play in other people’s arenas. It is different when you are playing away, and I think we have to prepare mentally and emotionally for that. Fans of our opponents will be loud, and there is a certain energy you feel when you are not on the ground at home. Not every player is the same, so I want to make sure every player feels ready to handle that situation in their own way. I love the idea to face that challenge, and I’m excited about it. We know it will be difficult, but we will be ready.
G: You withdrew from a full -time game schedule at the end of last year. How useful will this be for you, not having to play playing and preparing for the Solheim Cup as Captain?
AS: It has been very useful. As an assistant captain while still playing, I felt like the balance was a little easier. But I am happy with the place where I am in my career. My full -time play days in the LPGA Tour are behind me, but I’m still related to the game. I am able to go out and watch the players, and I know them well. Now, I can fully focus on the Solheim Cup and pay my inseparable attention to all the details. If I were trying to play while doing this, I think it would have been really difficult. I’m someone who I’m all inside or all out, and now, I’m all. I am excited about this next chapter.
G: Angela, thanks for your time and the best of luck.
Zephyr Melton is an editor for Golf.com, where he spends his days on the blog, producing and editing. Before joining the team in Golf, he attended the University of Texas followed by stopping with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, Green Bay Packers and PGA Tour. It helps with all things guidance and covers amateur and women’s golf. He can be reached in zephyr_melton@golf.com.
