The 19th edition of the Solheim Cup will be hosted at the Robert Trent Jones Club in Gainesville. Scheduled from September 13 to September 15, the European team will be putting their best foot forward to retain their trophy for the third year in a row. On the other hand, Team USA is all pumped up to take away the victory this year.

The former team will be led by Stacy Lewis, who will be making her fifth appearance and her first since 2017 at the biennial event. On the other hand, the defending team will be led by Suzann Pettersen. Both of them were team captains in last year’s edition as well, giving them a good grip on the strengths of their players. But the question is, who has been the better professional golfer?

Stacy Lewis: 13X LPGA Tour winner

Stacy Lewis turned pro in mid-summer 2008, just in time for the U.S. Women’s Open. A few months later, she became a part of the LPGA Tour in 2009. Although the 39-year-old player has dropped down to 281st on the Rolex Rankings list this season, it is safe to say that she has been an asset to the golf world.

Lewis has had a total of thirteen wins on the LPGA Tour, starting with the 2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship. She opened her professional career with a major win. Later on, she went on to secure another major victory in 2013 at the Women’s British Open. Her latest victory was at the 2020 Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open. The American professional has been winless for almost four years now; nonetheless, she has managed to earn a total of a whopping $14.6 million officially from the Tour.

The 2024 U.S. Solheim Cup captain competed back-to-back on behalf of Team USA from 2011 to 2017. She also served as the Assistant Captain under Pat Hurst’s team in 2021. Having led the team in Spain at the last edition and working closely with the team, there could not have been a better pick than Stacy Lewis for the U.S. team captain.

Suzann Pettersen: The retired professional golfer

Suzann Pettersen turned pro at the age of 19 in September 2000. It was later in 2001 that the Norwegian professional earned her LET card after finishing eleventh at the LET Qualifying School. She won seven times on the European Tour. A year later, the 43-year-old golfer tied for tenth place at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament and was exempt from playing in the 2003 LPGA season.

She managed to secure a total of fifteen wins on the American Tour. Suzann Pettersen’s victories also include two major championships—the 2007 LPGA Championship and the 2013 Evian Championship. The Norwegian golfer has also earned the accolade of being in the top 10 of the Rolex Rankings for 419 weeks. She played for the European team nine times in a row, holding the record as the team’s leading point earner. However, after Team Europe won the Solheim Cup Championship in her last appearance in 2019, she announced her retirement.

It is safe to say that Suzann Pettersen has had a greater stretch in the world of professional golf compared to Stacy Lewis. Although the American professional still has a few years to beat the record. Whose team do you think will lift the trophy at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club this year? Let us know in the comments section below!