Maja Stark and Linn Grant halted the unbeaten run of Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz, propelling Team Europe to a 7‑5 advantage over Team USA after Saturday's foursomes matches, even as Charley Hull and Lottie Woad endured a record‑tying loss. The opening day at Bernardus Golf saw the two sides deadlocked, marking only the second occasion in Solheim Cup history that both sessions ended in a tie. Europe, however, seized the initiative on Saturday morning by securing three of the four available points.
Korda and Corpuz entered the day with a flawless 100‑percent record in foursomes, having won five consecutive matches together. Their streak was snapped when Stark and Grant, leading the European contingent, clinched the first point with a decisive 3&2 victory.
Anna Nordqvist's much‑talked‑about pairing of Hull and Woad failed to produce a result once more. Alison Lee, riding a wave of confidence, captured her third straight win, teaming with Lauren Coughlin to post a 6&5 triumph – the joint‑largest margin ever recorded in Solheim Cup foursomes play.
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 secured a dramatic win on the final hole, ensuring Europe took the session. Nordqvist’s decision to field an all‑Swedish partnership was instantly vindicated. The Swedes opened by winning the first hole, matched the American birdie on the second, fell behind on the third, but quickly recovered by taking the fourth and never relinquishing the lead thereafter.
Their momentum continued as they captured the seventh with a birdie, and Stark added an eagle by chipping in from just off the eighth‑green. A par on the ninth gave Europe a third consecutive hole, extending their lead to four 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 on the 16th, ending the Americans’ perfect foursomes record. "It’s the best feeling ever," Stark exclaimed after the win. "We played solid golf both today and yesterday – it’s hard to lose when you’re not making any bogeys." Hull and Woad were kept together despite earning only half a point from two matches on Friday.
The English pair fell behind early as Lee and Coughlin claimed four straight holes from the fourth onward. Woad managed a close‑range birdie on the eighth to level, but Lee and Coughlin responded with consecutive birdies on the back nine, sealing an emphatic victory with a par on the 13th. "We both just hit it so solid," Lee said after her third point of the week.
"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 made history as the first rookie duo to win two matches together in a single Solheim Cup.
Their partnership never trailed and they recorded the largest margin of victory by a debutant pair in a foursomes match. "We didn’t expect to play this morning," Nadaud admitted.
"Yesterday was a great surprise. We played very sensibly – hit lots of fairways and greens and gave ourselves opportunities." In another unpredictable match, Kupcho and Zhang surged two up after six holes, while Henseleit missed three short putts before regaining the lead when 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 levelled the match on the 16th. Europe ultimately clinched the win when Zhang’s approach clipped the lip of a bunker on the last hole and resulted 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 10, 11 and 12 were pivotal turning points." The Solheim Cup now heads into its final day on Sunday, with the opening singles match slated for 10:10 am. Fans can watch live on Sky Sports Golf from 9 am, or stream via NOW without a contract.
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