Team Europe leader Anna Nordqvist was swift to refute any insinuations that the Bernardus Golf course had been deliberately arranged to favor the home side during this year’s Solheim Cup. The Swedish veteran, who captained the European squad, emphasized that the venue was prepared in the same manner as any other major tournament venue and that no special accommodations were made for the European players. The competition concluded with Europe edging out the United States by a narrow margin of 15‑13 after the final singles matches on Sunday in the Netherlands. After two days of tightly contested foursomes and fourball play, the overall score was dead‑locked at 8‑8 heading into the singles sessions.
In the post‑event press conference, U.S. captain Angela Stanford voiced her belief that her team had been disadvantaged by the pace of the greens, which she felt were slower than anticipated. Stanford said, "Europe played well.
I don’t think we played badly; we simply didn’t convert enough putts. If you listen to everything I’ve ever said, Europeans always putt better.
I don’t know why that is. I have a theory, but I’m not ready to share it now. Apparently I didn’t get to know the superintendent as well as I should have." When pressed about whether she was referring to the green speeds being different from what she expected, Stanford added, "Even when we arrived in July, the greens were faster. I don’t think the rain was a factor either.
Ultimately, it’s my responsibility to prepare the team for those conditions. The one thing I regret is not pushing harder on the practice days to get the players to hit their putts a bit more aggressively, which is a difficult adjustment. I’m frustrated with myself for not driving that point home." Nordqvist appeared mildly surprised by the suggestion that the greens had been set up to benefit Europe when the issue was raised at her own press conference.
She responded, "We’re in Europe in September, and we know how variable the weather can be. I’m not convinced the course was tailored for Europe; these women compete on the same courses week after week.
We arrived in July during a hot, dry spell, so the course played a bit differently then. Recently, there has been a lot of rain, which softened the conditions. If anything, the greens were playing softer than we expected, but that’s simply the weather, and we can’t control it." The American side had a moment of celebration on Saturday evening when Jennifer Kupcho sank two clutch putts to secure a late win for the United States, leveling the overall match at 8‑8 rather than trailing 9‑7 heading into the final day. Stanford dismissed any notion that the U.S.
team had reached an emotional peak too early. "It’s tricky because you never want to diminish those moments. The worst thing I could do would be to tell the players to come down from that high.
We won’t see a situation like that again, and they handled it well. I spoke with Kupcho and the rest of the team; they said they felt rested but also needed a minute to settle after such a high‑energy finish." Looking ahead, the Ladies European Tour will shift its focus to Spain, where the La Sella Open kicks off on Thursday at the La Sella Golf Resort. Meanwhile, the LPGA Tour will pause for a week before resuming with the Walmart N Arkansas Championship scheduled for September 25‑27. The next Solheim Cup is slated for 2028 and will be contested at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky from September 8‑10.
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