Europe beat USA 15-13 to win back the Solheim Cup
Europe beat the United States 15-13 to win the 2026 Solheim Cup at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands. BBC
The win returns the trophy to Europe after defeat in Virginia two years earlier. Europe needed 14 1/2 points to win it back on home soil and got there with a powerful final day. They took seven of the 12 singles points on offer. Sky Sports
Carlota Ciganda hit the clinching point for Europe. Solheim Cup It was the second time in three meetings she had secured the cup. Europe won six of the first eight matches out on Sunday to seize control.
The contest was level for two days. The sides were tied 4-4 after day one, then 8-8 after day two. That set up a straight shootout in the Sunday singles, where each of the 12 players faces one opponent over 18 holes.
Europe's captain Anna Nordqvist trusted youth. Her side included four debutants: Nastasia Nadaud, 21, Julia Lopez Ramirez, 23, Mimi Rhodes, 24, and Lottie Woad, 22. Woad, ranked world No. 6 before the matches, was the only rookie to qualify automatically. The other three were captain's picks, chosen by Nordqvist rather than earning a place on points.
Rhodes and Nadaud repaid that faith early. They won together in Friday fourballs, where each player plays her own ball and the best score on each hole counts, and again in Saturday foursomes, where partners share one ball and take alternate shots. Those two wins helped Europe stay level at 8-8.
The rookies held firm on Sunday. World No. 1 Nelly Korda beat Rhodes in singles. But Nadaud, Lopez Ramirez and Woad all won their singles matches. Woad beat Auston Kim 2&1, which means two holes ahead with one hole left, to move Europe to 14 points and to the brink of victory.
Nordqvist's other calls shaped the week. Her picks delivered eight and a half points, against five points from America's three picks. Wildcard selection Leona Maguire was part of that return. One gamble failed. Nordqvist paired Charley Hull and Woad together for all four opening team sessions and they managed only half a point. She then sent Hull out first in the singles, a decision she later called a no-brainer.
Nordqvist, from Sweden, led Europe for the first time. She had played in nine straight Solheim Cups as a player and served as a vice-captain in the 15 1/2-12 1/2 defeat in Virginia in 2024. She retired from competitive golf a month before taking charge in the Netherlands.
What makes this stand out is the balance. Europe lost the top match on Sunday and got little from a star pair. They still won because points came from across the team, with three rookies winning singles and the captain's picks outscoring their counterparts.
