Members of Team Europe celebrate their 15-13 victory over Team USA to regain the Solheim Cup at Cromvoirt in the Netherlands on Sunday. Image courtesy LPGA.
From a Correspondent
Cromvoirt, The Netherlands: For the second time in three meetings it was Carlota Ciganda who secured the cinching point to put the Solheim Cup in the hands of the Europeans.
Ciganda faced America’s Jennifer Kupcho in the 11th match out in the Sunday Singles matches and never trailed over the course of the day.
The Spanish star closed out Kupcho 4&2 just a day after Kupcho drained 122 feet worth of putts to defeat Ciganda in the Four-Ball session and tie the Europeans heading into the final session.
“I think it’s been one of the best teams that we’ve had in the last few years. Everyone just a unit, a team. That’s what Europe is about,” Ciganda said after her victory.
“And we had a great time. I think some great matches, lots of birdies. Yeah, very happy to do it for Anna.”
The two teams began the day tied at 8-8, but a hot start by the Europeans, captained by Anna Nordqvist, saw them win six of the first eight matches to defeat the US team led by Angela Stanford eventually by a 15 to 113 margin.
“This feels so good,” Nordqvist said after the victory. “Leaving the course yesterday, we were really excited for coming here today and, wow, was I impressed with every single player and caddie showing up to that first tee ready to play.”
History was always on Europe’s side.
Tough call
For the seventh time in the Solheim Cup, the US and Europe came into the final session with scores tied. Anytime that happened in the past, the team playing on home soil either won or retained the cup.
As the rain poured down on Bernardus Golf, Charley Hull led the Europeans for the second consecutive Solheim Cup by going out in the first match of the day against Megan Khang.
The balky putter that plagued Hull over the first two days of the competition continued to be a burden on Sunday, but Khang struggled with the flatstick too as she fought to gauge the speed on the putting surfaces in the rain.
Hull secured her first point of the week in a 3&2 victory to put the first point of the day on the board for Team Europe.
“It’s been a frustrating week.” Hull said about her putting. “Obviously didn’t hole a lot today, but I was just very steady, hit a lot of greens. The weather was pretty bad, so I just kept in there.”
Quickly, Europe had taken the lead in the first three matches of the day and the US needed a turnaround to stave off the mounting momentum against them.
Alison Lee, who was undefeated through the first two days, went out in the second match against Europe’s Esther Henseleit. Lee suffered three consecutive bogeys on the front nine to quickly fall 4 Down after 11 holes.
Momentum shift
But throughout the week, the Americans have proved stronger on the second nine and that was the case for Lee who made birdies on five of her next six holes to flip the match and go 1 Up with one hole to play.
The pair tied at the par-4 18th hole for Lee to mount the largest come from behind victory in Solheim Cup Singles matches and secure the first point of the day for the United States.
“I just did my best to stay consistent. That front nine was pretty tough with the rain coming down,” Lee said after her match.
“I feel like I was hitting a lot of good shots. I couldn’t quite gauge how far everything was going. So I feel like I was still hitting it good. I just couldn’t quite get the distance. I couldn’t give myself birdie chances and put myself in a good spot.”
Europe’s Linn Grant faced Angel Yin, who sat out both sessions on Saturday. Despite having the rest, Yin suffered five consecutive bogeys on the front nine to open the door wide for Grant to take a 3 Up lead through eight holes and was never able to recover in the match.
Grant went 4-0-0 for the week including her 4&3 victory over Yin.
Untroubled march
Nelly Korda never trailed in her afternoon match with rookie Mimi Rhodes and delivered the second point of the day for the USA with a 4&2 victory over the first-timer in the fourth match of the day.
“I played some really solid golf. So did she,” Korda said about her match with Rhodes.
“But, you know, I made a lot of birdies on the front nine, and I just came out here and really focused on myself. Angela told us, ‘Focus on yourself, focus on getting your point,’ and that’s what I did.”
A sea of blue began to grow midway through the lineup as Europe’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen, along with rookies Nastasia Nadaud, Julia Lopez Ramirez, and Lottie Woad took the lead in each of their matches.
Madsen closed out Allisen Corpuz 2&1 and Nadaud won 3&2 over Andrea Lee to extend Europe’s lead to 12-10. And the red-hot putter that earned Yealimi Noh 1.5 points during the week let her down on Sunday as she lost to Lopez Ramirez 3&2.
Europe needed to earn 14.5 points to win back the Solheim Cup, while the Americans needed just 14 points in order to retain the cup and with five matches remaining on the golf course, the Europeans looked well-positioned to bring home the cup.
Slug-fest
Rookies Auston Kim and Lottie Woad went toe-to-toe on Sunday. Woad came into the final session winless alongside partner Hull in the first four sessions of the week.
She contributed by going 4 Up through 11 holes in her match with Kim. But the fiery American wouldn’t go down without a fight and birdied holes Nos. 12, 13 and 14 to give the US hope she might be able to flip the match.
But Kim suffered a double bogey at the par five, 16th hole when she found the water off the tee that once more gave Woad the advantage and ultimately the 14th point for the European team.
“It was really important. I mean, I was pretty disappointed. Felt like I was playing good golf and not getting the points and felt like I was kind of letting everyone down,” Woad said about her performance the first two days.
“Then the captains kind of spoke to me and said, you know, the stat that I was third on birdies, so I was playing good golf and just had to trust that, and that’s golf sometimes. Ends up I got the winning putt.”
Once play concluded on Sunday, Stanford said looking at the putting woes her team faced throughout the final day that she wished that she would have better communicated with them about the green speeds that seemed particularly slow in the rainy conditions.
It will no doubt be one of many considerations she has when she gets time to reflect on her experience as Solheim Cup captain.
Sunday’s final round delivered exceptional shot-making down the stretch as Europe earned seven points in singles play to reach the winning 15-point threshold.
Sunday Singles Results
Charley Hull def. Megan Khang 3&2: Charley Hull gained the early advantage and maintained control to secure the first point for the European team, handing Megan Khang her first defeat in a Sunday singles match.
With the victory, Hull improved her career singles record to 3-3-1. She finished the event at 1-3-1 to contribute 1.5 total points for Team Europe, while Khang posted a 1-2-0 record to add one point for the U.S. squad.
Alison Lee def. Esther Henseleit 1 up: In the largest Solheim Cup singles comeback since 2013, Alison Lee earned the first point of the day for the US squad. Lee trailed 4 down through 11 holes before finding her rhythm with a birdie on the par-4 12th, capitalising on a rare mistake by Henseleit to win the hole.
She fought back to tie the match on No. 16 and birdied No. 17 to go 1 up before securing the 1-up victory. Lee finished the week 4-0-0, while Henseleit went 2-1-0 to contribute two points for Team Europe.
Linn Grant def. Angel Yin 4&3: After tying the opening hole, Angel Yin took an early lead with a birdie on the par-5 second hole to go 1 up and add red to the leaderboard. Linn Grant quickly capitalised on a mistake by Yin on the next hole to tie the match, then moved 1 up on No. 6 before pulling away for a 4-and-3 victory to secure a point for Team Europe and finish the week undefeated with four points.
Nelly Korda def. Mimi Rhodes 4&2: Nelly Korda took advantage of a second-hole mistake by European Solheim Cup rookie Mimi Rhodes to go 1 up. Korda maintained the lead until a rare misstep by the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 opened the door for Rhodes to tie the match.
Korda quickly answered with three straight birdies on Nos. 6-8 to regain control, ultimately closing out a 4-and-2 victory to secure a point for the U.S. squad. Korda finished the week 2-1-1 to earn 2.5 points, while Rhodes posted a 2-1-0 record for two points in her Solheim Cup debut.
Nanna Koerstz Madsen def. Allisen Corpuz 2&1: Nanna Koerstz Madsen struck early with birdies on the first two holes to go 2 up on American Allisen Corpuz but stumbled on the par-3 fourth hole to give a shot back, and the pair traded holes before making the turn all square.
Koerstz Madsen birdied No. 10 to reclaim the lead for good, closing out a 2-and-1 victory to earn her first point of the Solheim Cup and finish the week 1-2-0. Corpuz finished 1-3-0 to contribute 1 point for the Americans in 2026.
Nastasia Nadaud def. Andrea Lee 3&2: Andrea Lee went 1 up following a bogey by Solheim Cup rookie Nadaud on the second hole, but Lee gave the advantage right back with a bogey of her own on the next hole.
Nadaud took the lead on the eighth hole and held it the rest of the way, capping a 3-and-2 victory with a birdie on No. 16 to secure a point for Team Europe.
Solid debut
Nadaud finished her Solheim Cup debut 3-1-0 to earn three points for the Europeans, while Lee posted a 1-3-0 record to yield one point for the Americans in the Netherlands.
Julia Lopez Ramirez def. Yealimi Noh 3&2: European rookie Julia Lopez Ramirez put her first point on the board for Team Europe in Sunday’s singles match against Yealimi Noh. The pair traded holes for most of the front nine before Lopez Ramirez capitalised on a bogey by Noh on No. 9 to go 1 up, later sealing a 3-and-2 victory with a birdie on No. 16.
Lopez Ramirez finished her Solheim Cup debut 1-0-1 to earn 1.5 points for the Europeans, while Noh posted a 1-1-1 record to yield 1.5 points for the U.S. squad in her second event appearance.
Lottie Woad def. Auston Kim 2&1: Lottie Woad was a bright star in Sunday singles with a 2-and-1 victory over fellow Solheim Cup rookie Auston Kim to secure the 14th point for Team Europe.
Woad built a lead as large as 4 up before Kim fought back to cut the deficit to 1 down through 15 holes, but a misstep on No. 16 pushed Kim back to 2 down with two to play.
Woad finished her rookie debut 1-3-1 to earn 1.5 points for the Europeans, while Kim posted a 1-3-0 record to add one point for the U.S. squad.
Lauren Coughlin def. Leona Maguire 2&1: In only her second Solheim Cup, American Lauren Coughlin showed what playing for her country is all about, earning 3.5 points for the US in 2026.
Coughlin struck early to go 1 up by taking advantage of a mistake by European standout Maguire. Despite a few missteps, Coughlin maintained her composure to win the match 2 and 1 and put a point on the board for the US.
Coughlin finished with a 3-1-1 record in 2026, while Maguire earned two points with a 2-2-0 record.
Lindy Duncan def. Maja Stark 3&1: Maja Stark took the early advantage in Match 26 of Sunday singles against US rookie Lindy Duncan, but the American capitalised on a rare mistake by Stark on the seventh hole to go 1 up.
Duncan went on to win 3 and 1, finishing her Solheim Cup debut at 2-1-0 with two total points. Stark earned three points for Team Europe in her third event appearance, finishing the 2026 competition with a 3-1-0 record.
Carlota Ciganda def. Jennifer Kupcho 4&2: European Solheim Cup veteran Carlota Ciganda secured the decisive point to put 15 points on the leaderboard and clinch victory. Ciganda went 1 up with a birdie on the par-5 second hole to take an early lead, and though Jennifer Kupcho fought back to get within 2 down, the American eventually fell 4 and 2.
Ciganda earned 1.5 total points with a 1-1-1 record in 2026, while Kupcho finished 1-3-0 to contribute one point for the U.S. squad.
Rose Zhang def. Celine Boutier 2 up: American Rose Zhang won a tightly contested final Sunday singles match 2 up over Celine Boutier to secure the 13th point for the US squad.
The match remained all square through the front nine before Boutier gained the edge with an eagle on the 10th hole, but Zhang answered with a birdie on No. 11 to tie the match before holing an eagle of her own on No. 16.
Zhang maintained control and capped the victory with a birdie on the 18th hole to finish the week 2-2-0 to earn two points, while Boutier went 0-4-0 for Team Europe in the 2026 Solheim Cup. (courtesy LPGA)
Also read: Carlota Ciganda secures Solheim Cup in Spain with critical birdie
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