Europe kept hold of the Solheim Cup, edging the United States 15-13 at Bernardus Golf near Den Bosch in the Netherlands. The win, sealed on the Sunday of the biennial match, extended a strong recent run for the European team and left the Americans still searching for a way to reclaim the trophy. Anna Nordqvist captained the home side, with Angela Stanford leading the visitors. The three days followed the familiar rhythm of the match, with fourballs and foursomes across Friday and Saturday before the Sunday singles decided where the cup would go.
The two point margin did not reflect how tight the contest became. The United States came out firing in the closing singles, and for a stretch the result hung in the balance. Alison Lee produced the standout American performance, hauling herself back from a heavy deficit to claim a full point, a comeback that briefly lifted the visitors and set nerves jangling around the course.
Europe found the points it needed elsewhere. Lottie Woad rolled in the putt that carried the team over the line, while Charley Hull added another with a win in her singles match. Carlota Ciganda, a fixture of these matches, chipped in during the decisive stretch, and the home side did enough across the board to hold off the American charge.
Nordqvist leaned on a blend of experience and youth, and the mix paid off. Among the newcomers, French rookie Nastasia Nadaud caught the eye across the three days, picking up points in the team formats and settling quickly into the pressure of a debut. Pairing seasoned campaigners with first-timers has become a template for European sides, and it again proved its worth. Nordqvist, a Swede who played in the match for years before taking charge, has become one of the leading Nordic figures in the women’s game.
For Nordqvist, the victory gave a large partisan crowd the result it had come for and capped a captaincy built on that balance. For the United States, the defeat prolongs a lean spell in the event and shifts the focus to the next edition, which the Americans will host. Europe, meanwhile, heads into the break with its grip on the cup intact and its depth on show.
