0135세 '단장 추천' 최고령 루키의 반란… 솔하임컵 빛낸 린디 던컨의 감동 스토리
만 35세의 나이로 솔하임컵 무대에 처음 나선 린디 던컨(미국)이 나이는 숫자에 불과하다는 것을 실력으로 증명해냈다. 미국 대표팀 안젤라 스탠퍼드 단장의 추천 선수로 발탁되며 솔하임컵 역사상 최고령 데뷔 추천 선수라는 기록을 세운 던컨은 네덜란드 베르나르두스 골프장에서 열린 2026 솔하임컵에서 2승 1패(승점 2점)를 올리며 팀의 핵심 전력으로 맹활약했다.
대회 첫날 포섬 경기 패배에도 굴하지 않은 던컨은 둘째 날부터 진가를 발휘했다. 토요일 오후 포볼 경기에서 제니퍼 컵초와 짝을 이뤄 카를로타 시간다-셀린 부티에(유럽) 조를 상대한 던컨은 17번 홀 컵초의 극적인 90피트 버디 버디 퍼트에 힘입어 승부를 원점으로 돌린 뒤, 18번 홀에서 1홀 차 역전승을 완성했다. 이어 일요일 싱글 매치플레이에서는 유럽의 에이스 마야 스타크를 3홀 차(3&1)로 제압하며 스타크에게 이번 대회 유일한 패배를 안겼다.
비록 미국팀이 최종 우승을 차지하진 못했지만, 던컨의 포기하지 않는 도전 정신은 커다란 감동을 남겼다. 어머니의 따뜻한 응원 속에서 치열한 압박감을 이겨낸 던컨은 "꿈을 포기하지 않고 끝까지 싸우면 이룰 수 있다는 메시지를 전하고 싶었다"며 "원정 팬들의 일방적인 응원 속에서도 내 최선의 기량을 펼칠 수 있다는 자신감을 얻은 뜻깊은 한 주였다"고 소감을 전했다.
02Original (English) — LPGA
Lindy Duncan of Team United States tees off on the fifth hole during the Sunday singles matches of the Solheim Cup 2026 at Bernardus Golf on September 13, 2026 in Cromvoirt, Netherlands.
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At 35 years old, Lindy Duncan made Solheim Cup history before even striking her first shot at Bernardus Golf. Selected as a captain’s pick by U.S. Captain Angela Stanford, Duncan entered the week as the oldest American player to make her debut as a captain's pick in event history, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
By the end of the three-day competition in the Netherlands, the rookie proved age is just a number, delivering a stellar 2-1-0 performance to score two critical points for the American squad.
For Duncan, stepping onto golf’s biggest stage at this point in her career was less about personal accomplishment and more about sheer gratitude for the journey.
“It’s really cool. I’m one of the oldest people here,” Duncan said. “And I hope that people out there don’t give up on their dreams and keep fighting for them. That’s kind of what my story’s about, and every day I get to play out here with these girls, I feel so grateful to be able to do that.”
Reaching this stage was a shared victory, made even sweeter by having her biggest supporter in her corner.
“It’s been amazing. She gave me the biggest mama bear hug after this match was over, and yesterday as well,” Duncan said of her mother. “She’s just been such an amazing support my whole life. She doesn’t care how I play. She just wants to support me as a person, my sister and I, and she’s the best mom I could ask for.”
While the week didn’t end in celebration for the U.S. Team, Duncan’s journey began with an early test during Friday morning foursomes. Paired with Andrea Lee, the U.S. duo battled down to the wire against Europe’s Esther Henseleit and Leona Maguire, who held on to hand Duncan a 2-up loss in her opening match.
Duncan quickly put the loss behind her, joining forces with Jennifer Kupcho on Saturday afternoon for a four-ball match against Carlota Ciganda and Celine Boutier.
What followed was the most dramatic duel of the afternoon. The European pair held control for most of the round, but the Americans refused to go down quietly. Down late on the 17th hole, Kupcho drained a miraculous 90-foot birdie putt, putting the pressure back on Europe. When both Ciganda and Boutier missed their attempts, the match headed to the 18th hole tied. On the final hole, Kupcho rolled in another clutch long-range putt to complete the late comeback and seal a 1-up victory for the U.S. team.
Carrying that momentum into Sunday singles, Duncan displayed remarkable composure against Team Europe veteran Maja Stark. After Stark took an early lead, Duncan seized the advantage following a key error by Stark on the seventh hole to go 1 up. Duncan never looked back from there, pulling away to claim a 3-and-1 victory—capping her debut with a 2-1-0 record and handing Stark her only loss of the week.
Though Team Europe ultimately won the Cup, the milestone week offered Duncan a moment to reflect on a dream debut.
“It was a really fun week with the girls. I was really happy—that match we had yesterday, Jen and I, that was one of the most exciting things I’ve ever been a part of,” Duncan said. “Then today I played really well. I played really nicely. And it was really cool to see, you know, under a lot of pressure in front of a lot of people kind of cheering for the other team that I was able to play some of my best stuff. So I will take a lot of confidence.”