Maja Stark and Linn Grant broke the unbeaten run of Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz, propelling Team Europe to a 7‑5 advantage over Team USA after Saturday's foursomes session, even as Charley Hull and Lottie Woad endured a record‑tying drubbing. The opening day at Bernardus Golf was a picture‑perfect tie, marking only the second occasion in Solheim Cup history that both sessions ended level. However, the European side seized the initiative on Saturday morning by capturing three of the four points on offer, giving them a crucial foothold.
Korda and Corpuz entered the day with a flawless 100‑percent record in foursomes, having won five consecutive matches together. Their streak was snapped when Stark and Grant, who opened the European lineup, secured the first point of the day with a convincing 3&2 victory.
Their aggressive play and solid putting set the tone for the rest of the morning. Anna Nordqvist’s highly‑touted pairing of Hull and Woad, both from England, failed to deliver once more.
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. The English duo fell behind early as Lee and Coughlin rattled off four straight holes, leaving Hull and Woad scrambling to stay in contention. The rookie partnership of Mimi Rhodes and Nastasia Nadaud continued their flawless debut, overwhelming Andrea Lee and Austom Kim with a 4&3 win. Their composure under pressure was evident, as they never relinquished a lead and demonstrated a keen understanding of course strategy.
Leona Maguire and Esther Henseleit provided the final point for Europe, clinching a dramatic win on the 18th hole. After a seesaw battle that saw both teams exchange birdies, Maguire chipped an eagle from just off the eighth green, while Henseleit steadied the back‑nine with a pars‑only stretch that put Europe four holes ahead at the turn. Nordqvist’s decision to field an all‑Swedish duo paid immediate dividends. The pair opened with a birdie, matched the Americans on the next hole, and after a brief setback on the third, responded with a string of birdies that kept them in control.
Their seventh‑hole birdie extended the lead, and Stark’s spectacular eight‑foot chip‑in for eagle on the eighth green cemented Europe’s dominance in that segment. Korda and Corpuz attempted a comeback, winning the 10th and 11th holes to halve the deficit, but Stark’s eight‑foot birdie putt on the 16th hole ended the Americans’ perfect foursomes record and sealed the point for Europe. "It’s the best feeling ever," Stark exclaimed after her decisive birdie.
"We’ve been playing solid golf all week, hardly any bogeys, and it feels amazing to see that consistency pay off." Hull and Woad were kept together despite only earning half a point from two matches on Friday. The English pair fell behind early when Lee and Coughlin surged ahead with four consecutive holes.
Woad managed a close‑range birdie on the eighth to level the match temporarily, but the Americans responded with back‑to‑back birdies on the back nine, ultimately sealing a commanding win with a par on the 13th. "We were just hitting the ball solidly," Lee said of her performance.
"All I had to do was watch Lauren [Coughlin] work her magic. She hit incredible approach shots and sank some fantastic putts." Rhodes and Nadaud made history as the first rookie duo to win two matches together in a single Solheim Cup. Their partnership never trailed, and they recorded the largest margin of victory ever by a debutant pair in a foursomes match, showcasing poise and strategic shot‑making. "We didn’t expect to be playing this morning," Nadaud admitted.
"Yesterday was a surprise, and today we played very sensibly—lots of fairways, good greens, and we gave ourselves plenty of chances." In another roller‑coaster match, the pair of Kupcho and Zhang surged two holes up after six holes. Henseleit missed three short putts, but rallied when she and Maguire captured three of the first four holes on the back nine, pulling Europe back into contention.
Team USA fought back, winning consecutive holes from the 14th onward. Maguire answered with a level‑par on the 16th, but Europe clinched the session when Zhang’s approach clipped the lip of the bunker on the final hole, resulting in a closing bogey that handed the point to the Europeans.
"We knew we weren’t doing anything drastically wrong," Maguire reflected. "We started strong, just like yesterday, and they fought back with a birdie on three.
Patience and creating opportunities were key—holes ten, eleven and twelve were pivotal turning points." The Solheim Cup now heads into its final day, with the decisive singles matches slated to begin at 10:10 a.m. on Sunday.
Fans can catch the action live on Sky Sports Golf from 9 a.m., or stream via NOW without a contract. As the competition tightens, the question on everyone’s mind is: who will lift the coveted Solheim Cup trophy?