Europe’s Solheim Cup captain Anna Nordqvist has announced that Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall and England’s Mel Reid will serve as vice-captains for the 2026 match, which is set to take place at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands on September 7-13.
Caroline has represented Europe on five occasions, winning or retaining the cup in all but one appearance. This will be her first time as a vice-captain, and she said: “I was so thrilled when Anna invited me to be one of her vice-captains in 2026 as the Solheim Cup has definitely provided many of the most important moments of my career. Anna and I have shared so many experiences, both on tour and on European teams together, that I feel like we are very aligned in our thinking on how to help ensure the European team is able to perform at its best. I think, together with Mel, we really understand each other and are all very feisty competitors so I am sure we are going to work very well together for the good of our team.”
Mel, a seven-time winner on the LET and LPGA, has represented Europe in the Solheim Cup on course four times (2011, 2015, 2017 and 2021) and as a vice-captain in 2019 and 2024.
“If the Solheim Cup is happening, I want to be there for Europe in whatever way I can contribute,” said Mel. “Some of my fondest core memories have been during a Solheim Cup week and in that European team room. I am honoured that Anna asked me to be one of her vice-captains. I know she is going to be an amazing captain, and I am so happy that I will be there to support her and the team and to help in any way to make Anna and the team successful.”
Caroline, 35, and Mel, 37, are peers and long-time European teammates of 37-year-old Anna, who said: “I have known Caroline and Mel since I was a teenager, as such I’ve had the pleasure of playing alongside them for my whole career. We have had many good memories as teammates and as friends, so I am delighted to have them by my side as we take on a new challenge in our golfing careers as captains in the Netherlands. They are both very experienced Solheim Cup players, fiercely competitive and fantastic teammates, and I know Team Europe will be stronger having them on board. I look forward to navigating the next stage of the 2026 Solheim Cup journey with them.”
Anna was a playing vice-captain in 2023 and 2024, in what was her ninth time representing Europe in the Solheim Cup. She has been on the winning side five times and is one of Europe’s most successful players. A three-time major winner, she has amassed a further six LPGA titles and four LET titles, including the 2022 Dutch Ladies Open.
Since its opening in 2018, Bernardus has hosted three editions of the KLM Dutch Open on the DP World Tour (2021-2023). The last European edition of the Solheim Cup took place in 2023 at Finca Cortesin in Spain, ending in a dramatic 14-14 tie with Europe retaining the Solheim Cup. In 2024, the USA triumphed 15 ½ -12 ½ in Virginia.
