Team Europe’s captain, Anna Nordqvist, was swift to dismiss any insinuations that the Bernardus Golf Course was deliberately set up to favor the European side during the recent Solheim Cup. After a tightly contested event, Team Europe edged out Team USA with a 15‑13 win, clinching the victory in the final singles matches held in the Netherlands.
The competition had been dead‑locked at 8‑8 after the first two days of play, but a series of decisive singles results on Sunday tipped the scales in Europe’s favor. Despite the close scoreline, U.S. captain Angela Stanford voiced concerns after the tournament, suggesting that the slower greens at Bernardus placed her team at a disadvantage 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 explain 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 pressed about whether she was referring to green speeds that differed from her expectations, Stanford elaborated: "Even when we arrived in July, the greens were faster than anticipated.
I don’t think rain was a factor either. Ultimately, it’s my responsibility to prepare the team for those conditions. The one thing I keep kicking myself over is that I didn’t push harder on the putting strategy.
It’s difficult to change a player’s putting routine mid‑tournament, and I’m frustrated that I didn’t emphasize that point more strongly." Nordqvist, taken aback by the implication that the course was engineered against the United States, responded at her own press conference with a measured explanation. "We’re in Europe in September, and we all know how variable 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, so the layout is fairly standard. When we arrived in July, it was an exceptionally hot and dry summer, which made the course play a bit differently. Lately, however, we’ve had a lot of rain, so the conditions softened considerably. The changes we saw were more a product of the weather than any deliberate manipulation." The Americans had a dramatic moment on Saturday evening when Jennifer Kupcho sank two clutch putts to secure a late win for the United States, leveling the overall match at 8‑8 and preventing Europe from heading into the final day with a 9‑7 lead.
Stanford, however, rejected the notion that the U.S. team had reached an emotional peak too early.
"It’s tricky because you never want to diminish those moments," she explained. "The worst thing I could do would be to tell the players to pull back from that high. Those feelings are part of the competition, and we can’t take them away." She added, "We probably won’t see a situation like that again, but the team handled it well. I spoke with Kupcho and the others, and they acknowledged that they were well rested, though it did take a minute to settle down after such an intense surge of emotion." Looking ahead, the Ladies European Tour will shift its focus to Spain, where the La Sella Open commences on Thursday at La Sella Golf Resort.
Meanwhile, the LPGA Tour will pause for a brief hiatus before resuming with the Walmart N Arkansas Championship slated for September 25‑27. The next Solheim Cup is scheduled for 2028 and will be hosted at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky from September 8‑10.
Fans can stay updated on the latest Sky Sports offers or stream the action without a contract on NOW. Additionally, golfers can find the best rates and book tee times at over 1,700 courses throughout the UK and Ireland by entering a course name, city, or postal code on the booking platform. In summary, while the U.S. captain voiced concerns about green speed and preparation, Europe’s captain maintained that the course conditions were largely dictated by natural weather patterns rather than any intentional bias.
The close finish underscored the competitive balance between the two sides, and both captains acknowledged the importance of mental resilience and adaptability in high‑stakes match play. The upcoming tournaments on both the LET and LPGA circuits will provide further opportunities for players to fine‑tune their games ahead of the next Solheim Cup showdown in Kentucky.