Maja Stark and Linn Grant broke the unbeaten run of Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz, propelling Team Europe to a 7‑5 advantage over Team USA after Saturday's foursomes. Their victory came despite a record‑tying drubbing for Charley Hull and Lottie Woad. The opening round at Bernardus Golf was perfectly balanced – both sessions finished level, a scenario that has only happened once before in Solheim Cup history.
Europe, however, seized the momentum on Saturday morning, capturing three of the four points on offer and turning a tied match into a modest lead. Korda and Corpuz entered the day with a flawless 100‑percent record in foursomes, having won five consecutive matches together.
That streak was snapped when Stark and Grant, who opened the European line‑up, produced a convincing 3&2 win to claim the first point of the day. Anna Nordqvist’s much‑talked‑about partnership of Hull and Woad failed to deliver once again. Alison Lee, riding a wave of confidence, notched her third straight session win, teaming with Lauren Coughlin to post a 6&5 triumph – the joint‑largest margin ever recorded in Solheim Cup foursomes.
The rookie pair of Mimi Rhodes and Nastasia Nadaud continued their flawless start, dispatching Andrea Lee and Austom Kim 4&3. Meanwhile, Leona Maguire and Esther Henseleit clinched a dramatic final‑hole win, ensuring Europe swept the session. Nordqvist’s decision to field an all‑Swedish duo was instantly vindicated.
The pair opened by taking the first hole, matched the Americans’ birdie on the second, fell behind on the third after a birdie by the U.S., but responded by winning the fourth and never relinquishing the lead again. Their dominance continued as they secured the seventh with a birdie and extended the gap when Stark chipped in for an eagle just off the eighth green. A steady par on the ninth gave Europe a third consecutive hole, pushing the lead to four at the turn.
Korda and Corpuz tried to spark 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 said after the win.
"We played solid golf both today and yesterday – it’s hard to beat when you’re not making any bogeys." Hull and Woad remained paired despite delivering only half a point from two matches on Friday. The English pair fell behind early when Lee and Coughlin roared ahead with four straight holes from the fourth. Woad managed a close‑range birdie on the eighth to level, but Lee and Coughlin answered on the back nine with consecutive birdies, sealing an emphatic victory with a par on the 13th.
"We both just hit it so solid," Lee remarked, celebrating 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 debut partnership never fell behind and posted the largest margin of victory ever 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 – we hit plenty of fairways and greens and gave ourselves chances." In another roller‑coaster match, Kupcho and Zhang surged two up after six holes. Henseleit missed three short putts, but rallied when she and Maguire captured three of the first four holes on the back nine, regaining the lead. Team USA fought back, winning successive holes from the 14th onward.
Maguire answered with a birdie on the 16th to level the match, but Europe clinched the win when Zhang’s approach clipped the bunker lip on the final 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. The opening singles match begins at 10:10 am, with live coverage on Sky Sports Golf from 9 am. Fans can also stream the action on NOW without a contract and take advantage of the latest Sky Sports offers. For those looking to play the courses featured throughout the tournament, the UK and Ireland boast over 1,700 venues.
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