Woad delivers the point that mattered
Rain hammered Bernardus all afternoon and Europe barely noticed. Lottie Woad closed out Auston Kim 2 and 1 in the eighth match on the course, the board clicked over to 14 and a half points, and the Solheim Cup changed hands. Europe 15, United States 13.
The two teams had walked off on Saturday evening level at 8-8, which flattered nobody. Europe had led 8-5 with three matches left in the fourballs before the Americans took all three. Twelve singles, six and a half points needed, everything still open.
It did not stay open long. Charley Hull went out first against Megan Khang and won 3 and 2. Linn Grant saw off Angel Yin 4 and 3. Inside a couple of hours the board had turned almost entirely blue, and Anna Nordqvist’s side led in seven of the matches still out there.
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The one American comeback that was not enough
Alison Lee gave the visitors something to hold. Four down to Esther Henseleit at one stage, she played her final eleven holes in five under par and won on the last. It stands as the largest comeback in the history of Solheim Cup singles, and it dragged the United States back to within a point.
Nelly Korda followed with a 4 and 2 win over Mimi Rhodes to level the match at 10-10. That was as close as the Americans got. Europe kept converting in the lower half of the draw, Woad supplied the point that took them over the line, and Carlota Ciganda put the formal seal on it by beating Jennifer Kupcho 4 and 2.
Europe won the singles session 7-5. The United States have not taken a Sunday singles session since 2015, the same year they last won this trophy away from home.
What it changes
The Americans arrived in the Netherlands as holders, having won 15 and a half to 12 and a half at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in 2024, and they needed only 14 points to keep the cup. They finish one short of that mark and leave the first Solheim Cup ever staged on Dutch soil with nothing.
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