Leona earns place on Solheim Cup team

Contest takes place next month at Finca Cortesin.

Cavan golfing star Leona Maguire has been selected as one of eight automatic picks in qualifying to play for Team Europe at next month's Solheim Cup contest with the United States at Finca Cortesin.

“Honoured and excited to represent @SolheimCupEuro for the second time. Can’t wait to battle it out alongside this incredible team,” she posted on social media, having earlier finished tied for 16th in Antrim at the ISPS Handa Invitational.

Maguire qualified to play for Team Europe by way of her world ranking.

She is currently 14th in the world, and is joined by fellow European qualifiers Celine Boutier, Maja Stark, Charley Hull, Georgia Hall, Linn Grant, Carlota Ciganda, and Anna Nordqvist.

This will be the 28-year-old's second time competing at the Solheim Cup, having played a key role in helping Team Europe win in 2021 when she broke the all-time rookie points record in either the Solheim Cup or the Ryder Cup scoring an incredible 4.5 points out of 5 available.

Team Europe is captained by Suzann Pettersen

Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh has been given a wildcard pick, and Pettersen selected Dryburgh, the Swedish pair of Madelene Sagstrom and Caroline Hedwall and Denmark’s Emily Pedersen to complete her 12-strong team.

2021 was a breakout year for Leona who went on to have four top-10 finishes, six top-20 finishes, and a career-best major finish of joint-sixth at the Evian Championship.

She also competed at the Tokyo Olympics before her landmark appearance at the Solheim Cup.

She won her first tour championship at Fort Myers, Florida in 2022, and followed that up with winning the Meijer LPGA Classic in June 2023.