“When I saw how I played under pressure last week, I knew I was doing the right things in training,” said Esther Henseleit after the first round of the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open 2024. And who could doubt it? Only two weeks ago, the German citizen won her first international tournament. Henseleit was still in awe when she won the silver medal at Le Golf National. With a breathtaking final round with seven birdies, she took second place on the podium at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris with a score of 66 (6 under par), two strokes behind Lydia Ko. Well, luck seems to be on the 25-year-old’s side.

After her celebrations in Paris, Esther Henseleit played all rounds under par (70-71-66-70) at the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open, securing another second place finish. With a score of 11 under 277, she was four strokes behind Lauren Coughlin this time. Her performance in Ayeshire may not have earned her a silver trophy, but it certainly helped her secure a special place in the women’s rankings.

Esther Henseleit has secured a place at the 2024 Solheim Cup

The qualifying phase for the 2024 Solheim Cup began in 2022 with the Aramco Team Series. It will finally end this month with the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open and the AIG Women’s Open next week. LPGA Tour pro Esther Henseleit was only five points away from the Solheim Cup after winning silver in Paris, after taking the win with her LET points.

With second place, she got the points she needed to secure a place on the European team for the biennial event. The official Instagram account of the Solheim Cup Euro announced this in its feed. “After a few excellent weeks, Esther Henseleit has secured an automatic starting place for the last qualifying week,” they have written.

Aside from Henseleit, the top two players on the LET rankings have already been decided. The first to secure the spot was Charley Hull. With top-three finishes during her final qualifying round, she was the first to automatically secure a spot on the team via the rankings. But is LET the only list that has received players for the European tour in Virginia?

Players who have secured a place in the European team via the world rankings

Frenchwoman Céline Boutier is in the top 10 (8) of the Rolex World Players list. This automatically gives her a place on the European team. She has played 48 events so far and achieved an average score of 4.92. Charley Hull qualified via the LET, but also has a good chance of qualifying via the world rankings. Together with Boutier, she is also in the top 10 list.

In addition to the three players, the Solheim Cup Euro team has announced on its Instagram page the official participation of five more players: Maja Stark, Linn Grant, Leona Maguire, Carlota Ciganda and Madelene Sagstrom. They are all ranked in the top 35 in the Rolex World Player Rankings and have an automatic place to represent Europe at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in September. Are you looking forward to the 2024 Solheim Cup? Let us know who you’re rooting for in the comments section below!