It may still be seven months away, but the 2015 Solheim Cup should be an event that is on players’ radar screens from the get-go this season.

Points are doubled this year, and spots on the respective teams are up for grabs, so every week is critical for anyone hoping to tee it up in women’s golf’s top international match-play event. Set for Sept. 18-20 at Golf Club St. Leon-Rot, Germany, the biennial, trans-Atlantic competition is setting up to be a dandy.

On the U.S. side, reigning Rolex Player of the Year Stacy Lewis leads the way with 648 points heading into this week’s tournament in the Bahamas, with Michelle Wie (414 points) and Lexi Thompson (395) also apparent locks for this year’s team.

Other than that, the field is open, especially considering how many points are available for the taking. Cristie Kerr is fourth with 255 points, Angela Stanford fifth with 229 and Jessica Korda sixth with 220, but their positions on the team are far from secure.

Throw in Brittany Lincicome in seventh with 196 points, b in eighth with 195, Lizette Salas and Gerina Piller in a tie for ninth with 185 and Brittany Lang 11^th with 154.5, and the waters begin to get a bit muddy. Morgan Pressel (133 points), Mo Martin (132.5) and Christina Kim (99) are others in contention heading into the bulk of the 2015 season.

It’s really anyone’s event to qualify for, and a number of players who have been waiting in the wings last year could emerge as serious contenders in 2015.

The same goes for the European Team, which is looking to win its third consecutive Solheim Cup. The Ladies European Tour schedule does not begin until Thursday, but Charley Hull leads the way with 113.17 points.

Suzann Pettersen of Norway, the world’s No. 4-ranked player, is second with 105 points, with Gwladys Nocera of France in third with 102.5 and Spain’sCarlota Ciganda in fourth with 80. Azahara Munoz of Spain rounds out the top five with 77.38 points, while France’s Valentine Derry (71.79) and England’s Holly Clyburn (44.83) and Hannah Burke (43.34) are also in the mix for first-time qualifications.

Scotland’s Kylie Walker (40 points) and England’s Dame Laura Davies (39.5) round out the top 10, and Sweden’s Camilla Lennarth (39.33) and Scotland’s Catriona Matthew (38) are within striking distance.

There are still plenty of tournaments and countless points available before the cutoff for both teams, and the race to make the 12-member squads should be one of the big storylines of the summer as things progress. For now, players are keeping one eye on the Solheim Cup standings as they tee it up on a weekly basis, and their focus on the Tour’s flagship match-play event will tighten with each passing week.

It’s never too early to be thinking about the Solheim Cup, and there’s little doubt it will be on the minds of the LPGA’s best as the weeks click by on the calendar.

Solheim Cup points a premium in 2015

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