The chant "They drink on Saturday, we drink on Sunday!" reverberated through the Team Europe bus on Sunday evening, a jubilant anthem that captured the mood after another decisive Solheim Cup home victory. Anna Nordqvist clinched the decisive point on the final day, allowing Europe to reclaim the trophy from Team USA in a dramatic showdown. Going into the rain‑soaked singles session at Bernardus Golf, the match was balanced on a knife‑edge.
The Americans had seemed to seize momentum after a thrilling Saturday four‑ball round that forced the score back to an 8‑8 tie. Jennifer Kupcho, however, produced a spectacular finish, holing a 110‑foot putt on the final two holes to secure a win alongside Lindy Duncan against Carlota Ciganda and Céline Boutier.
Team USA captain Angela Stanford hailed that moment as a tide‑turning victory for the United States. That triumph, however, was quickly eclipsed by a video that went viral later that night: the American team celebrating with beers on their bus.
The premature revelry served as a powerful motivator for the Europeans, who responded by winning six of the eight singles matches and ultimately flipping the contest in their favour. Lottie Woad’s decisive point is already being remembered as the match‑winning moment that pushed Europe to 14 points, with Ciganda already assured of at least a half‑point.
It was the Spaniard who sealed the win, confirming Europe’s superiority on the final day. The celebrations spilled over onto the course and into the trophy ceremony. A clip of Dame Laura Davies handing out beers to the European squad went viral, and the party continued long into the night, underscoring the camaraderie and relief felt by the victorious side.
Despite the headline‑grabbing moments, the final 15‑13 scoreline does not fully convey the dominance displayed by Nordqvist’s contingent on the last day. Team USA’s top order—aside from Nelly Korda and Alison Lee—failed to sustain the exuberance of the previous evening, leaving Europe to apply relentless pressure.
Carlota Ciganda, perhaps the most passionate Solheim Cup participant, evolved from a morale‑boosting presence on the opening tee to a clutch performer throughout the week. She was instrumental on Friday, sharing a crucial half‑point with Julia Lopez Ramirez after a dramatic final‑hole par that prevented the United States from taking the lead after day one. Although she fell victim to Kupcho’s birdie‑birdie finish on Saturday, Ciganda exacted revenge in the singles, closing out her eighth appearance with a point that made her only the second player ever to secure the clinching point in two different Solheim Cups.
"I was really happy to see that I was playing against Kupcho," Ciganda said after her win. "She's a fighter, I'm a fighter. I knew she had no chance.
I was like, 'I want to kill you,' so I had it very clear in my mind." Charley Hull and Lottie Woad made history by becoming the first pair to compete together in all four sessions of a Solheim Cup. Their partnership, while statistically impressive, also endured a difficult start: they posted a 6&5 loss in the Saturday morning foursomes and returned only half a point from the first two days despite ranking among the top four European birdie‑makers. Nordqvist faced criticism for not rotating her pairings on day two and for placing Hull in the singles line‑up—a decision she later defended as a "no‑brainer" after watching the 30‑year‑old secure Europe’s first point of the day. Hull described the week as "frustrating," noting that both she and Woad struggled with putting until their singles victories rescued their records.
"Being the leader of this team, we knew she [Hull] was going to deliver," Nordqvist explained. "It was blue on the board early. Lottie has been very steady this week – it was nice to see her finally hole some putts." The standout performer for Europe was Linn Grant, who transformed a previous Solheim Cup with zero points into a 4‑point haul in this edition. Grant joined an elite group as only the ninth player to record a 4‑0 or better result, achieving three wins alongside Maja Stark and a commanding 4&3 victory over Angel Yin in the singles.
Her resurgence is especially remarkable given she entered the event after a slump that saw her miss five of six cuts. "It is a really cool feeling to have a player like her on your team, someone you know inside and out," Stark said of Grant. "For Anna, it was a no‑brainer to pair us together." All of Europe’s captain’s picks contributed meaningfully, each delivering at least 1.5 points. Leona Maguire, in particular, set a new record by becoming the quickest player to reach ten Solheim Cup match wins—doing so in just fourteen matches, one fewer than the previous benchmark.
Although she briefly held the highest winning percentage in Cup history, a loss alongside Céline Boutier in the four‑balls prevented her from extending that record. Team USA captain Angela Stanford praised her own selections, noting that her three picks amassed five points and that the chosen players suited the course’s demand for high‑ball hitters. The broader context of the event also highlighted emerging talent.
After a strong showing at the AIG Women’s Open, players like Charley Hull and others were poised to become regulars for future Solheim Cups. Meanwhile, Nanna Koerstz Madsen secured qualification via world rankings after a teammate’s runner‑up finish at Royal Lytham freed an additional captain’s pick.
Rookie pairings also made history. Nastasia Nadaud, who entered the world rankings just inside the top 150 a year earlier, teamed with rookie Leona Maguire to become the first rookie duo to win two matches together at a Solheim Cup. Their 4&3 foursomes win on Saturday morning matched the largest margin ever achieved by a rookie pair.
Nadaud, surprised by her selection, responded with a 3&2 singles victory over Andrea Lee at a moment when the United States threatened to swing momentum back in their favour. "Getting three points for Europe is just absolutely crazy – I have no words for that," she exclaimed, already looking ahead to future European representation. Looking forward, many of Nordqvist’s victorious teammates will still be under 30 when the 2028 Solheim Cup arrives in Virginia, suggesting that a core group could reunite to chase another away‑soil triumph. The depth of Europe’s talent pool was evident, especially given that the home victory came without several recent regulars such as Georgia Hall, Emily Kristine Pedersen, and Madelene Sagstrom.
This edition also marked the first Solheim Cup since 2007 without Anna Nordqvist as a player; she retired mid‑season and ruled herself out of a captain’s pick. When asked if she might return as captain in 2028, she replied, "You're never going to say never. I don't know what my future holds." When Europe last won on home soil in 2019, Catriona Matthew returned as captain to guide the team to an away victory the following year.
Whether Nordqvist will steer the ship in Virginia or a new leader will take the helm, the next Solheim Cup—scheduled for September 8‑10, 2028 at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky—promises another chapter of fierce competition and unforgettable drama.