Lexi Thompson walks two roads at once this year. Professional Golf and a life off the clock. She stepped back from a full tour schedule in 2024 to breathe freely and rebuild her new life. Now she plans to marry Max Provost in March 2026. And that wedding eats early-season weeks and puts her Solheim Cup hopes under a new kind of pressure. But before anything is official, legendary captain Juli Inkster hit her with some big new responsibilities that’re hard to resist.

“I had Lexi on all three of my teams, and Lexi is the ultimate team player. She’ll play with anybody…She’ll sit out. Well, I never sat her out. I would love for Lexi to make the team. As a captain, you gotta get your best 12 players, and you know experience is still gotta golf the ball. So I would love to, and it would be awesome to have Lexi on that team,” Inkster told host Matthew Galloway on The Mixed Bag Podcast when he asked will Lexi make the turn and earn a spot for the team USA at the Netherlands in September.

Inkster’s support carries weight because she captained Lexi Thompson in 2015, 2017, and 2019. She knows exactly what Thompson brings to Team USA when the pressure peaks.

But that endorsement also adds pressure on Thompson, who scaled back her schedule after the 2024 season. She wanted more time with family, friends, and her dog, Leo. Even with a lighter load in 2025, she played 12 events, stayed inside the top 60, finished runner-up at the Dow Championship, and placed fourth at the Meijer Classic. Heading into 2026, she also made it clear her focus is shifting toward her wedding in March.

Thompson went public with her relationship on January 1, 2025, after Provost proposed during a holiday trip to Whistler, British Columbia. He has also been in her inner circle at key events, including carrying her bag at a Hero World Challenge pro-am and joining her at the Solheim Cup red carpet.

So why do Solheim Cup legends want her back so badly? The answer goes back to Sunday Singles at the 2017 Solheim Cup in Des Moines.

Thompson opened against Anna Nordqvist and struggled early, turning 4 down. After a quick conversation with Inkster, she responded with a stunning back-nine charge, playing it in eight under to salvage a crucial half point. It remains one of the most memorable singles performances in Solheim Cup history and a reminder of how quickly she can swing momentum.

And this isn’t just nostalgia. Thompson’s Solheim Cup record backs it up. She debuted at 18 in 2013 and owns a 10-10-7 record, earning 13.5 points for Team USA. Her best showing came in 2023, when she won three of four matches. That experience makes her one of the team’s most reliable leaders, especially for a younger squad.

That’s why the current USA Captain Angela Stanford recently made a very eye-opening statement about Thompson’s appearance in the upcoming Solheim Cup. She believes Lexi has earned the right to always stay in consideration for selection. For Angela Stanford, this will be her first run as captain, having worked as an assistant during Lexi’s dominant 2023 performance in Spain.

And on the topic of playing at the Solheim Cup, Lexi has been frank and says the Solheim Cup always matters to her, but family and balance now come first. Still, she has not closed the door to Team USA, admitting, “I think Angela knows that, but we’ll see…There are a lot of important things in my life.”

That mix of desire and restraint keeps the Solheim question alive and compelling.  When the 30-year-old shifted her focus, she said that she would be committed to contributing to the sport and inspiring the next generation of golfers. Her participation in the Solheim Cup after the hiatus will surely inspire the golfers.

Now, if Thompson decides to play in the Netherlands, how will she make the Solheim Cup team?

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How does Lexi Thompson actually get on Team USA?

She has three ways to make the team. Seven players qualify automatically by earning points over the two-year cycle, two more spots go to players who qualify through the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, and the final three are captain’s picks.

Lexi can still qualify through points even with a limited schedule, but that puts extra importance on the 2026 majors. Events like the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open offer double points, so one or two strong finishes there could move her up fast.

If the points route gets tricky, the world ranking path is another option, but it may be harder to hold her position with fewer starts, especially with time off around her wedding. That is why the majors again become her best chance to protect or improve her ranking, and the Chevron in April could be a turning point, since it’s the site of her only major win. A top result there would boost her significantly.

Still, the most realistic route may be through the captain’s picks. If Lexi falls short in points or ranking, a pick gives the captain flexibility to bring in a proven match-play player, and Angela Stanford’s early comments suggest Lexi remains a strong candidate.