Former Cowgirls to compete for European squad in Solheim Cup this weekend

Oklahoma State Cowgirl golf alumnae Caroline Hedwall and Maja Stark are set to compete in this week’s action of the 2023 Solheim Cup.

Hosted at Finca Cortesin in Andalucia, Spain, the Solheim Cup pits 12 of the top American LPGA players against 12 of the best golfers in the Ladies European Tour (LET) from Sept. 22-24. This prestigious biennial tournament is named after Karsten and Louise Solheim, the founders of Karsten Manufacturing – better known as PING – and the great-grandparents of Cowgirl golfer Jenna Solheim.

Coverage of Friday and Saturday’s fourball and foursomes events will air on Golf Channel and Peacock from 1 a.m. to noon CT. Sunday’s singles matches will air from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. CT on Golf Channel and NBC Digital. The live leaderboard for the Solheim Cup can be found onLPGA.com.

Hedwall returns to her fifth Solheim Cup ranked No. 115 in the world. The Täby, Sweden native has an extensive background at the transatlantic event, winning the PING Junior Solheim Cup in 2007, with previous appearances in the main Cup in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2019.

In the 2013 Solheim Cup, she made history, becoming the first player to win all five of her matches en route to a Team Europe win.

As a Cowgirl, Hedwall cemented legendary status, becoming the program’s first-and-only NCAA Individual National Champion and NGCA National Player of the Year in the 2009-10 season.

Stark makes her debut at the Solheim Cup this week, ranked No. 40 in the world. The Abbekås, Sweden native has risen quickly since turning pro in August 2021, logging seven professional wins, most recently at the Lalla Meryem Cup in February.

The 23-year-old starred in her two seasons with the Cowboys, headlined by Big 12 Conference Player of the Year and WGCA All-American honors in 2020-21. Stark recorded a 70.48 stroke average on the season, breaking the previous school record of 71.14 – set by Hedwall.

Hedwall and Stark hope to bring Team Europe the Solheim Cup for its third consecutive occasion this weekend.