Team Europe’s captain, Anna Nordqvist, was swift to dismiss any insinuations that the Bernardus Golf Course had been deliberately set up to favor the European side during the recent Solheim Cup. The competition concluded with Europe edging out the United States 15‑13 after a tightly contested final day of singles matches in the Netherlands.

After two days of play the overall score was dead‑locked at 8‑8, setting the stage for a dramatic showdown on Sunday. United States captain Angela Stanford, however, voiced frustration at the tournament’s conclusion, claiming that her squad was disadvantaged by the slower green speeds they encountered throughout the event. During her post‑tournament press conference Stanford remarked, "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 seem to putt better. I still can’t pinpoint why.

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 probed further about whether she was referring to the greens being slower than expected, Stanford added, "Even when we arrived in July, they were faster than what we anticipated.

I don’t think the rain was a factor either. Ultimately it’s my responsibility to prepare the team for those conditions." She continued, "The one thing I keep kicking myself over is that I didn’t push the point harder. We needed to figure out how to hit our putts a little firmer, which is incredibly difficult to change on the fly.

I’m frustrated with myself for not emphasizing that more." Nordqvist appeared taken aback when the criticism of the green speeds was raised at her own press conference. "We’re in Europe in September, we know how unpredictable the weather can be," she said. "I’m not convinced the course was set up to suit Europe.

These players compete on the same venues week after week. We arrived in July during a very hot and dry spell, so the fairways and greens played a bit firmer back then." She went on to explain, "In the weeks leading up to the event we saw a lot of rain, and this past week the weather was especially wet. If anything, the conditions made the course softer than we initially expected. That’s just the weather doing its thing; we can’t control it." The American side had a moment of jubilation on Saturday evening when Jennifer Kupcho holed two clutch putts to secure a late win for the United States, tying the overall match at 8‑8 instead of trailing 9‑7 heading into the final day.

Stanford, however, cautioned against reading too much into that emotional surge. "It’s a delicate balance because you never want to diminish those high‑energy moments," she explained.

"The worst thing I could do would be to tell the team to pull back and dampen their enthusiasm. Those feelings are part of the competition and you can’t replicate them. The players themselves told me they felt a brief dip after the high, but they quickly regained focus." Looking ahead, the Ladies European Tour will move to Spain for the La Sella Open, which kicks off Thursday at the La Sella Golf Resort.

Meanwhile, the LPGA Tour will take a brief hiatus before the Walmart N Arkansas Championship scheduled for September 25‑27. The next Solheim Cup is slated for 2028 and will be hosted at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky from September 8‑10.

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