Maja Stark and Linn Grant broke the flawless run of Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz, propelling Team Europe to a 7‑5 advantage over Team USA after Saturday's foursomes session, even though Charley Hull and Lottie Woad endured a record‑tying defeat. The opening day at Bernardus Golf had produced an unprecedented dead heat, with both sessions ending level for only the second time in Solheim Cup history.
Europe seized the momentum on Saturday morning, capturing three of the four points on offer and establishing a slim but crucial lead. Korda and Corpuz entered the day with a perfect 100 percent record in foursomes, having won five consecutive matches together. Their streak was snapped by the Swedish pair of Stark and Grant, who opened the morning with a commanding 3&2 victory, immediately putting Europe ahead.
Anna Nordqvist’s much‑talked‑about partnership of Hull and Woad failed to deliver any points. Alison Lee, riding a wave of confidence, notched her third consecutive win, teaming with Lauren Coughlin to post a 6&5 triumph – the joint‑largest margin ever recorded in Solheim Cup foursomes play. The rookie duo of Mimi Rhodes and Nastasia Nadaud continued their flawless start, routing Andrea Lee and Austom Kim 4&3. Meanwhile, Leona Maguire and Esther Henseleit clinched a dramatic final‑hole win, sealing Europe’s sweep of the session.
Nordqvist’s decision to field an all‑Swedish pair was instantly vindicated. The Swedes captured the first hole, matched an American birdie on the next, dropped the third to a birdie, then recovered by winning the fourth and never relinquishing the lead.
Their dominance continued when they secured the seventh hole with a birdie, and Stark capped the stretch with a spectacular chip‑in for eagle from just off the eighth green. A par on the ninth gave Europe a third straight hole, extending their lead to four at the turn. Korda and Corpuz attempted a comeback, winning back‑to‑back holes from the 10th onward to halve the deficit. However, Stark answered with an eight‑foot birdie on the 16th, ending the Americans’ perfect foursomes record and cementing Europe’s advantage.
"It’s the best feeling ever," Stark exclaimed after her decisive win. "We played solid golf both today and yesterday – it’s hard to lose when you’re not making any bogeys." Hull and Woad remained paired despite only earning half a point from two matches on Friday. The English pair fell behind early as Lee and Coughlin seized four consecutive holes starting on the fourth. Woad managed a close‑range birdie on the eighth to level, but Lee and Coughlin responded with back‑to‑back birdies on the back nine, sealing an emphatic victory with a par on the 13th.
"We both just hit it so solid," Lee said after securing her third point of the week. "All I had to do was watch Lauren [Coughlin] play. She hit incredible shots into the green and sank some amazing putts." Rhodes and Nadaud made history as the first rookie pair to win two matches together in a single Solheim Cup, never trailing en route to the largest margin of victory ever recorded by a debutant foursomes team. "We didn’t really expect to play this morning," Nadaud admitted.
"Yesterday was a great surprise. We played very sensible golf – hit lots of fairways and greens and gave ourselves plenty of chances." In another roller‑coaster match, the Taiwanese duo of Ku‑pcho and Zhang surged two up after six holes. Henseleit missed three short putts, but Maguire and Henseleit rallied, winning three of the first four holes on the back nine to regain the lead.
Team USA fought back, taking successive holes from the 14th onward. Maguire leveled the match on the 16th, but Europe clinched the win when Zhang’s approach clipped the lip of a bunker on the final hole and resulted in a bogey. "We knew we weren’t doing anything terribly wrong," Maguire reflected.
"We got off to a great start, just like yesterday, and they answered with a birdie on three. We had to stay patient and keep creating chances. Holes 10, 11 and 12 were pivotal turning points." The battle for the Solheim Cup continues to captivate fans worldwide.
The final day’s singles matches begin on Sunday at 9 am on Sky Sports Golf, with the opening match kicking off at 10:10 am. Viewers can also stream the action via NOW without a contract, and take advantage of Sky Sports promotions.
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