Team Europe's PING Junior Solheim Cup captain Anne Van Dam believes her side have a very good chance of winning back the trophy from Team USA at Bernardus Golf this week, adding her players will "fight to the last putt" to secure victory. Twelve of Europe's best golfers between the ages of 12 and 18 are gearing up to take on Team USA between September 7 and 8 in the PING Junior Solheim Cup at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands. The tournament will take place three days before the Solheim Cup gets under way on September 11, live on Sky Sports.
It will mark the first time that both the PING Junior Solheim Cup and the Solheim Cup have been played on the same course in the same week. The 2026 event will also be the first time that a PING Junior Solheim Cup captain will also concurrently serve as a Solheim Cup vice-captain, with Van Dam being one of Anna Nordqvist's vice-captains. Van Dam's former PING Junior Solheim Cup team-mate Bronte Law will act as the European skipper's vice-captain.
Morgan Pressel is Team USA's captain, and her side are the favourites coming into the event. They are out to defend their title after they claimed victory at the Army-Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia in 2024. Despite Team USA's strength, Van Dam is optimistic about her side's chances.
"My team are all fighters," Van Dam said. "One thing they have in common is they all have big personalities and very feisty attitudes. "I know they will fight hard to the last putt.
That's sometimes a very hard thing to teach someone. You either have that, or you don't. Everyone on our team has that.
"I'm very excited to see that come out and have them fight for it. I know Europe is a little bit behind, maybe in the total standings, and I would love for them to catch up." Team USA leads Team Europe with an all-time record 8-4-1 at the PING Junior Solheim Cup, but the last time these two sides met on European soil in 2023, Team Europe emerged victorious, beating Team USA 15-9 in Spain. "I'm very excited for the next couple of days and to follow them throughout the rest of their careers.
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