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. The shift came despite a record‑tying drubbing for Charley Hull and Lottie Woad.
The opening day at Bernardus Golf produced a rare dead‑heat, with both sessions ending in a tie – only the second such occurrence in the tournament’s history. Europe, however, seized the momentum on Saturday morning, capturing three of the four available points. Korda and Corpuz entered the day with a perfect 100‑percent record in foursomes, having won five consecutive matches together. Their streak was snapped when Stark and Grant opened the morning session, delivering a decisive 3&2 victory that gave Europe its first point of the day.
Anna Nordqvist’s much‑talked‑about pairing of Hull and Woad failed to deliver any spark. Instead, Alison Lee notched her third straight win, teaming with Lauren Coughlin to post a 6&5 triumph – the joint‑largest margin ever recorded in Solheim Cup foursomes.
The rookie duo of Mimi Rhodes and Nastasia Nadaud continued their flawless start, dispatching Andrea Lee and Austom Kim 4&3. Meanwhile, Leona Maguire and Esther Henseleit clinched a dramatic final‑hole win, ensuring Europe secured the session.
Nordqvist’s decision to field an all‑Swedish partnership paid immediate dividends. The Swedes opened with a birdie, matched the Americans on the next hole, fell behind briefly after a birdie loss on the third, but responded with another birdie to regain control. They extended their lead on the seventh with a birdie, and Stark capped the rally with a spectacular chip‑in for eagle just off the eighth green. A pars at the ninth kept the pressure on, giving Europe a four‑hole lead at the turn.
Korda and Corpuz attempted a comeback, winning back‑to‑back holes from the 10th onward to halve the deficit. Their hopes were dashed when Stark holed an eight‑foot birdie at the 16th, ending the Americans’ perfect foursomes record. "It’s the best feeling ever," Stark said after her win.
"We played solid golf both today and yesterday – it’s hard to beat when you’re not making any bogeys." Hull and Woad remained paired despite earning only half a point from two Friday matches. The English pair fell behind early as Lee and Coughlin captured four consecutive holes starting on the fourth. Woad managed a short‑range birdie on the eighth to level, but Lee and Coughlin responded with back‑to‑back birdies on the back nine, sealing an emphatic win with a par on the 13th. "We both just hit it so solid," Lee remarked after claiming 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. Their debut partnership never fell behind, achieving 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 sensibly – hit a lot of fairways and greens and gave ourselves chances." In another roller‑coaster match, Kupcho and Zhang surged two up after six holes.
Henseleit missed three short putts, but the pair regained the lead when she and Maguire captured three of the first four holes on the back nine. Team USA fought back, winning consecutive holes from the 14th, yet Maguire leveled the match at the 16th. Europe ultimately prevailed when Zhang’s approach clipped the lip of a bunker on the final hole, resulting in a closing bogey.
"We knew we weren’t doing anything terribly wrong," Maguire reflected. "We started nicely, 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 Solheim Cup now heads into its final day, with the singles matches slated to begin at 10:10 am on Sunday. Fans can catch the action live on Sky Sports Golf from 9 am, or stream via NOW without a contract.
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