US captain Stacy Lewis insists Europe are favourites for Solheim Cup

US captain Stacy Lewis has finalised her team for next month's Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin in Spain. Picture: Dustin Satloff/Getty Images.

Stacy Lewis, the US captain, reckons Europe are heading into next month’s Solheim Cup in Spain as favourites despite seeing the final piece of her team jigsaw fall into place.

By tying for 13th spot - the exact finish she needed - at the CPKC Women’s Open on Sunday, Andrea Lee secured the last automatic qualifying berth, paving the way for Lewis to name Ally Ewing, Cheyenne Knight and Angel Yin as her three picks for the contest at Finca Cortesin.

In addition to Lee, the trio joined Lilia Vu, Nelly Korda, Allisen Corpuz, Megan Khang, Jennifer Kupcho and Danielle Kang from the US points list and Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang off the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.

Thompson will be making her sixth appearance in the biennial event while, in contrast, Corpuz, Knight, Lee, Vu and Zhang will all be rookies as the Americans bid to stop a Europe make it three wins in a row.

“I don't know what the rankings will show on paper, but I think Europe has to be favoured,” Lewis told The Scotsman. “They have won the last two. They have got really great players playing well. We are going overseas.

“And that's not to doubt my team. I just think Europe is really, really strong. They have got all the momentum in this event right now. We don't have the momentum on our side. And so we are going to go try to flip it.

"We have a lot of new blood that has not experienced the last two years. They don't know what it's been like, and I think that's going to be to our advantage.”