Maja Stark and Linn Grant broke the flawless run of Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz, propelling Team Europe to a 7‑5 advantage over the United States after Saturday's foursomes session. The shift in momentum came despite a record‑tying defeat for Charley Hull and Lottie Woad, whose partnership was overwhelmed by the American duo.
The opening day at Bernardus Golf saw the two sides locked at even‑par, a rarity that has occurred only once before in Solheim Cup history. Europe, however, seized the initiative on Saturday morning by capturing three of the four available points, putting them firmly in the driver's seat.
Korda and Corpuz entered the day with a perfect 100‑percent record in foursomes, having won five straight matches together. Their streak was snapped when Stark and Grant opened the morning session, delivering a decisive 3&2 victory that set the tone for the rest of the day.
Anna Nordqvist’s much‑talked‑about pairing of Hull and Woad failed to produce the expected results. Instead, Alison Lee earned her third consecutive point, teaming with Lauren Coughlin to post a 6&5 win – the joint‑largest margin ever recorded in Solheim Cup foursomes. The English duo, who had only managed a half‑point from two matches on Friday, were unable to recover as Lee and Coughlin surged ahead, winning four straight holes from the fourth onward.
The rookie partnership of Mimi Rhodes and Nastasia Nadaud continued their flawless start, dispatching Andrea Lee and Austom Kim 4&3. Their performance marked the first time a rookie pair has won two matches together in a single Solheim Cup, and they did so with the widest victory margin ever for a debutant duo in a foursomes format. Leona Maguire and Esther Henseleit added another point for Europe by clinching a dramatic final‑hole win. The Swedish pair, selected by Nordqvist, validated the decision to field an all‑Swedish team when they matched an American birdie on the second hole, recovered from a birdie loss on the third, and then took control with a birdie on the seventh.
Stark’s spectacular chip‑in for eagle from just off the eighth green further extended Europe’s lead, and a steady par on the ninth secured a third consecutive hole for the Europeans, putting them four ahead at the turn. Korda and Corpuz attempted a comeback, winning back‑to‑back holes from the tenth onward to halve the deficit. Their hopes were dashed when Stark holed an eight‑foot birdie putt on the 16th, ending the Americans’ perfect foursomes record and cementing Europe’s advantage.
"It’s the best feeling ever," Stark said after her winning putt. "We played solid golf both today and yesterday, and it’s hard to beat that when you’re not making any bogeys." Hull and Woad remained together despite a modest showing on Friday, but they fell behind early as Lee and Coughlin took four consecutive holes starting on the fourth. Woad managed a close‑range birdie on the eighth to level the match briefly, yet the Americans 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 the match, adding, "All I had to do was watch Lauren [Coughlin] play. She hit incredible shots into the green and made some amazing putts." Rhodes and Nadaud’s achievement was historic: they became the first rookie duo to claim two victories together in a single Solheim Cup, never trailing at any point and posting the largest margin of victory for a debutant pair in a foursomes match. "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 plenty of opportunities." In another swing‑filled match, Kupcho and Zhang surged two up after six holes, while Henseleit missed three short putts before rebounding as she and Maguire won three of the first four holes on the back nine. Team USA fought back, taking successive holes from the 14th, but Maguire leveled the match on the 16th.
Europe ultimately clinched the point when Zhang’s approach clipped the lip of the bunker on the final hole, resulting in a closing 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 ten, eleven and twelve were key turning points for us." The Solheim Cup now heads into its final day, with the singles matches set to begin at 10:10 am on Sunday. Fans can catch the action live on Sky Sports Golf from 9 am, or stream without a contract on NOW.
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