The qualification period for the 2024 Solheim Cup ends after August’s AIG Women’s Open. That leaves just one month left for American and European hopefuls to move up the standings to make their respective teams for September’s competition at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club outside Washington. Captains Stacy Lewis and Suzann Pettersen, both repeating their roles from last year’s edition in Spain, will be spending the next few weeks monitoring players on their short list. Team Europe is looking to make it four wins in a row, while stopping the slide and winning for the first time on home soil since 2017 is the tall task at hand for the American side. Let’s take a look at how the teams are shaping up.

Team Europe

Pettersen’s squad will be made up of the top two players in the European Solheim Cup standings, the top six players in the Rolex World Rankings not already qualified, and four captain’s picks. As of today, that would mean Charley Hull and Linn Grant are in via Solheim Cup standings, and Celine Boutier, Maja Stark, Leona Maguire, Carlota Ciganda, Madelene Sagstrom, and Georgia Hall are in via the Rolex Rankings. A slew of players including would-be rookies Esther Henseleit, Alexandra Forsterling, and Albane Valenzuela as well as veterans Anna Nordqvist, Emily Kristine Pedersen, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, and Gemma Dryburgh round out the long list of potential captain’s picks. Last year, Pettersen went heavy on experience, picking just one rookie in Dryburgh.

Team USA

Qualifying for the American team works slightly differently. The team will consist of the top seven players in the U.S. Solheim Cup standings, the top two players in the Rolex Rankings not already qualified, and three captain’s picks. Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu, Ally Ewing, Allisen Corpuz, Megan Khang, Lauren Coughlin, and Andrea Lee make up the top seven. That list currently leaves Rose Zhang and Alison Lee qualifying via Rolex Rankings. Lexi Thompson is all but locked into a spot; she was part of Solheim Cup Media Day earlier this month and played a practice round with Captain Lewis. Angel Yin, Jennifer Kupcho, Cheyenne Knight, and Marina Alex are all potential picks with Solheim Cup experience. Lewis also chose just one rookie (Knight) with her picks last year.

The Month Ahead

Opportunities for players to make their case for a Solheim Cup spot are few and far between. The LET is off until after the Olympics. That leaves one non-major event left on the LET’s schedule, the Women’s Scottish Open, for contenders to make a jump in the rankings. That Scottish Open field will be stronger than normal with many LPGA players looking to get some links work in before the AIG Women’s Open at St. Andrews. On the LPGA, the CPKC Women’s Open takes place in Canada this week, then it’s off to Portland before the Olympic break. With every Olympian likely to skip a trip to Portland ahead of Paris, expect a weaker field there, where those on the cusp could capitalize.

Captain’s Pick Predictions

Don’t expect much in the way of surprises from Captain Lewis’s picks. Lexi Thompson is a lock for one of the three spots. Sarah Schmelzel’s having a breakout year and could join Coughlin as the lone rookies. She’s likely to lean on someone with experience like Kupcho or Alex with the final pick. The strength of Team USA is at the top, with seven players in the top 25 of the Rolex Rankings. The captain’s picks, outside of Lexi, probably won’t see much action. Whereas the team’s best players, Korda, Vu, and Ewing, could all play four matches or more.

Captain Pettersen’s picks are bound to have a curveball or two. Last year, she chose Caroline Hedwall and Emily Kristine Pedersen, ranked 120th and 114th respectively, over Jodi Ewart Shadoff, who was ranked just outside the top 50. Hedwall played just one session and then transformed into a back-nine birdie machine on Sunday to take down Ally Ewing in a match Team Europe had to flip. Since then, Hedwall hasn’t done much of anything, falling to 177th in the rankings. If anyone but Pettersen was in charge, there’s no way Hedwall would be considered. But Pettersen is in charge, and she’s as unpredictable as they come. Imagine the message it sends if Pettersen picks Hedwall again. She’s essentially saying she doesn’t need a full team for the first two days of competition. And godspeed to Ally Ewing if she draws Hedwall come Sunday.

This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.