Anna Nordqvist could not hide her admiration for the entire European contingent after their dramatic win in the Solheim Cup, saying she was "impressed with every single player" and describing the decision to send Charley Hull out first in the Sunday singles as an obvious choice. The competition, held at the rain‑soaked Bernardus Golf Course, saw Team Europe capture seven of the twelve points on the final day, edging Team USA 15‑13 and reclaiming the trophy for the first time since 2021.
The atmosphere on the final day was electric. After a nail‑biting finish on Saturday, when Jennifer Kupcho’s late‑round birdies forced a tie and kept the contest alive, Europe rallied with renewed vigor. Nordqvist praised the collective effort, noting that "so much hard work" had gone into the week from both the players and the support staff.
She highlighted how the background team had "made it easy for the players just to play" and how the overall vibe throughout the tournament had been positive and supportive. "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," Nordqvist told Sky Sports.
She added that the early part of the competition had been dominated by Europe, with the team establishing a comfortable lead that set the tone for the remainder of the matches. "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," she said. The spotlight later turned to Charley Hull, who had been paired against Megan Khang in the singles.
Hull entered the match with a modest record – she had contributed only half a point in the first four sessions alongside teammate Lottie Woad – but Nordqvist argued that the decision to let her open the singles was based on statistics rather than reputation. "We saw the stats yesterday, and Charley and Lottie were actually top‑four players that made the most birdies for the week," Nordqvist explained. "They hadn't scored many points yet, but they played very 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." Hull’s performance validated the captain’s confidence. She never fell behind, securing a 3&2 victory over Khang and delivering Europe’s first full point of the day.
This win contributed to Europe winning six of the first eight singles matches – a historic first for the team – and put them firmly on the path to overall victory. After the match, Hull reflected on the pressure and her own mindset: "I've been giving myself so many chances, so that's been quite frustrating. 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." Hull also recalled a conversation with vice‑captain Mel Reid, who reminded her of her birdie statistics: "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 acknowledged that match play can be unforgiving: "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!" Lottie Woad, who had also struggled to convert her strong play into points earlier in the tournament, finally broke through by defeating Auston Kim. Her win pushed the European total to 14 points and sparked jubilant celebrations among the home crowd.
"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." The final match saw Carlota Ciganda beat Jennifer Kupcho, sealing the 15‑13 victory for Europe and ending the competition on a high note. The triumph was celebrated as a testament to the depth of talent across the European roster, the strategic acumen of the captains, and the unwavering support of the team staff.
Looking ahead, the Ladies European Tour will travel to Spain for the La Sella Open at La Sella Golf Resort, while the LPGA Tour will pause for a brief hiatus before the Walmart N Arkansas Championship scheduled for late September. The Solheim Cup itself will return in 2028, with the next edition set to be contested at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky from September 8‑10. Fans can stay up to date with the latest Sky Sports offers or stream the action on NOW without a contract.