Anna Nordqvist could not hide her admiration for the entire European squad after they clinched the Solheim Cup, describing the victory as a "no‑brainer" when it came to putting Charley Hull out first in the Sunday singles. The competition, held at the rain‑soaked Bernardus Golf Club, saw Team Europe overturn the odds and secure seven of the twelve points on the final day, edging Team USA 15‑13 for a hard‑earned win. The comeback was especially sweet after the previous evening’s dramatic finish, when Jennifer Kupcho’s clutch birdies had levelled the biennial contest.
Europe responded with composure, earning their first outright victory since 2021. Nordqvist, speaking to Sky Sports, said the triumph felt "so good" and highlighted the relentless effort put in over the past two years by both the players and the support staff. "The helpers have been amazing this week, making it easy for the players just to play, and we just had a really good vibe all week.
Everyone's been really good team‑mates," she explained. "Leaving the course yesterday, we were really excited for coming here today and, wow, was I impressed with every single player and caddie showing up to that first tee ready to play." She noted the early dominance of Europe on the scoreboard, attributing it to the fast starts that the team had practiced throughout the week. "It just seemed to be a lot of blue early on the board.
We talked a lot about the fast starts this week with the way the golf course was and I'm just really, really proud of the players for starting strong and even finishing strong," Nordqvist added. Hull’s performance in the singles was a decisive factor. Two years earlier she had thrashed Korda 6&4, and despite only contributing half a point in the first four sessions alongside Lottie Woad, she was trusted to lead Europe out again.
Her confidence was rewarded when she secured a full point with a 3&2 win over Megan Khang, marking her first complete point of the week. "This was the no‑brainer to put Charley [Hull] first," Nordqvist said. "We saw the stats yesterday, and Charley and Lottie were actually top‑four players that made the most birdies for the week.
They hadn't scored many points, but they just played really tough matches. People don't understand how good all these players are and how good the golf has been all day in the last three days." Both Hull and Woad faced the specter of becoming the first Solheim Cup participants to play in five sessions without a win, especially after a record‑tying 6&5 loss in the Saturday foursomes.
Hull, however, never fell behind in her match, demonstrating steadiness despite challenging weather and a limited number of putts holed. "I've been giving myself so many chances, so that's been quite frustrating," she admitted. "Obviously didn't hole a lot today, but I was just very steady, hit a lot of greens.
The weather was pretty bad, so I just kept in there." A conversation with vice‑captain Mel Reid bolstered Hull’s confidence. "She was like ‘you know that you're the third player on both teams who have made the most birdies this week. You've just come against Yealimi Noh, who literally holed everything the last few days!’" Hull recalled.
She acknowledged the fine margins of match play: "To be fair, we were playing well, we just weren't holing enough putts. I think that's match play for you. I'm happy that I've got a point this week, even though it's only one and a half points that I got, but it's better than none!" Woad also broke her personal drought, defeating Auston Kim and pushing the European total to 14 points, sparking jubilant celebrations.
She later secured a win over Jennifer Kupcho alongside Carlota Ciganda, sealing the home victory. "It was really important," Woad said.
"I was pretty disappointed. Felt like I was playing good golf and not getting the points and felt like I was kind of letting everyone down. Then the captains kind of spoke to me and said the stat that I was third on birdies, so I was playing good golf and just had to trust that.
That's golf sometimes – ends up I got the winning putt." Looking ahead, the Ladies European Tour will travel to Spain for the La Sella Open at La Sella Golf Resort, while the LPGA pauses for a brief hiatus before the Walmart N Arkansas Championship in late September. The next Solheim Cup is slated for 2028 at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky, scheduled for September 8‑10. Fans can stay updated on Sky Sports offers or stream the action without a contract via NOW.