Show notes
Kent Paisley and Scottie "Worldwide" Leonard sit down with U.S. Solheim Cup captain Angela Stanford, just back from Team USA's scouting trip to Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands ahead of the September 2026 matches against Anna Nordqvist's Europe. The 2018 Evian champion — now captaining after six Solheim Cups as a player and three as an assistant — breaks down what the recon confirmed: a firm, fast course she expects to be defended by wind and hole locations, and a young American core that genuinely likes being around each other. Scottie draws out the human side of the job — the first time she stood in front of the players as the decision-maker, building trust one private conversation at a time, and why she'd rather each player understand why they matter than simply "bond." Kent works the strategy: how Stanford weighs a hot hand against a trusted veteran for her captain's picks, why so few Americans having won in Europe reshaped her thinking on rookies, and whether she'd send a player out for all five sessions. Along the way — Alison Lee's late-summer surge into the conversation, Jenny Bae's grit, Auston Kim in the mix, and how KPMG Performance Insights lead analyst Justin Ray's analytics ("I'm probably 50/50") sit beside the eye test. Plus a Mike Tyson mantra about plans and punches, the loneliest call she'll have to make, and the one thing Stanford wishes everyone understood: the Solheim Cup deserves to be spoken of in the same breath as the Ryder Cup.Chapters:00:00 — "Everybody has a plan till you get punched in the mouth"03:10 — Fresh off Bernardus: the real read on the course and the team05:36 — The par 3 that could blow a session wide open07:22 — "Where's Stacy?" — the day the buck stopped with her09:02 — Earning trust, one private conversation at a time12:19 — Hot hand or ride-or-die vet? Inside the captain's picks14:30 — The stat that flipped how she sees this whole team17:08 — Alison Lee's red-hot audition20:31 — What keeps Anna Nordqvist up at night22:13 — The gut-punch calls nobody sees23:20 — Forget "bonding" — why she wants buy-in28:25 — Numbers vs. the eye test (and not overreacting)31:27 — Four events left: who's grabbing a spot?34:12 — Europe's quiet edge & leaning on her assistants36:55 — Her assistants' eyes, and the advice she lives by42:04 — The loneliest call — and going all-in on five47:54 — Legacy, 2028 & golf's respect gap54:54 — What she needs locked in by the first teeLinks:The Edge WebsiteThe Edge YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@golf.theedgeshowSubscribe to The Edge Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
