Chiara Tamburlini faces an anxious wait to confirm her spot on Team Europe for the Solheim Cup after missing the cut at the AIG Women’s Open. The Swiss player arrived at Royal Lytham & St Annes holding a slim lead in the qualification standings but struggled to find her rhythm over the first two rounds.
Tamburlini entered the final major of the year ranked second in the Ladies European Tour’s Solheim Cup points list. Only the top two players in those standings after this week secure automatic spots on captain Anna Nordqvist’s roster.
She held a 1.1-point advantage over Helen Briem before play began. Tamburlini posted a four-bogey finish to her opening-round 75. She confirmed her early exit with a three-over 74 on Friday morning.
Briem and France’s Agathe Laisne also missed the cut, ending their own hopes of automatic qualification. However, Tamburlini remains vulnerable. Lottie Woad could move above her in the standings with a top-three finish, while Maja Stark and Carlota Ciganda are also threats to claim the remaining automatic spots over the weekend.
Qualification Battle Hangs in the Balance
“I want it so badly but sometimes the things you want so badly almost hinder your performance more,” Tamburlini said, visibly emotional. She admitted the pressure of the situation weighed heavily during her rounds.
The 26-year-old has finished no higher than 17th on the LPGA Tour this season. She has now missed the cut in four of her last six starts. She noted that trying to establish herself on the tour has been difficult while balancing the Solheim Cup chase.
“Not looking great as well with keeping my LPGA card at the moment,” she said. “Worst case, there’s always other options as well. I’m trying to take a little bit of pressure off myself with that. We’ll see what happens this weekend on the side of Solheim.”
The volatility of the leaderboard suggests that Tamburlini’s fate is largely out of her hands, meaning the psychological burden of watching from the sidelines might be more taxing than competing. If she loses the automatic berth, her recent form and lack of a high-profile result this season could make her a risky option for a captain’s pick compared to veterans with major track records.
Despite the poor results, Tamburlini insists her play is better than the numbers indicate.
“I know the scores don’t show it, but I feel like my game is so much more solid,” she explained. “The margins, we all know it, are so small.”
She was part of Europe’s team trip to Bernardus Golf after the Evian Championship earlier this month. That experience, alongside players she has not partnered with often, intensified her desire to make the squad. “Just being there made me realise again even more really how much I want it,” Tamburlini admitted. “It’s been nice to get a bit closer to all the older girls as well that I haven’t really played with much. They’ve been all super welcoming as well and open for questions and everything, which has been really nice.”
Captain’s Picks Await After Sunday
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