Maja Stark and Linn Grant halted the unbeaten run of Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz, giving Team Europe a 7‑5 advantage over the United States after Saturday's foursomes session. The shift came despite a record‑tying drubbing for Charley Hull and Lottie Woad, whose partnership could not find a foothold. The opening day at Bernardus Golf produced a rare dead‑heat, with both sessions finishing level – only the second time this has occurred in Solheim Cup history. Europe, however, seized the momentum on Saturday morning by capturing three of the four points on offer, putting them ahead for the first time in the competition.
Korda and Corpuz entered the day with a perfect 100‑percent record in foursomes, having won five straight matches together. Their streak was snapped by Stark and Grant, who opened the European side and secured the first point with a decisive 3&2 victory.
Their aggressive play and precise iron work set the tone for the rest of the morning. Anna Nordqvist’s highly touted pairing of Hull and Woad once again fell short. Alison Lee, riding a wave of confidence after two consecutive wins, teamed with Lauren Coughlin to post a 6&5 triumph – the joint‑largest margin ever recorded in Solheim Cup foursomes.
The English duo was unable to recover from early setbacks and never managed to pressurise their opponents. The rookie combination of Mimi Rhodes and Nastasia Nadaud continued their flawless start, dispatching Andrea Lee and Austom Kim 4&3. Their composure under pressure and aggressive tee‑to‑green strategy impressed spectators and added another point to Europe’s tally.
Leona Maguire and Esther Henseleit produced a dramatic finish, clinching a final‑hole win that sealed the session for Europe. Their partnership demonstrated resilience, trading birdies and pars while maintaining control throughout the match.
Nordqvist’s decision to field an all‑Swedish duo paid immediate dividends. The pair opened with a birdie, matched the Americans on the next hole, lost the third to a birdie, but responded by taking the following hole and never relinquishing the lead.
They added a seventh‑hole birdie, and Stark’s spectacular chip‑in for eagle from just off the eighth green extended the lead further, while a par on the ninth secured a third consecutive hole and a four‑stroke advantage at the turn. Korda and Corpuz attempted a comeback, winning back‑to‑back holes from the 10th onward to halve the deficit. However, Stark’s eight‑foot birdie putt on the 16th halted the American surge and ended the perfect foursomes record that the U.S. team had enjoyed up to that point.
"It’s the best feeling ever," Stark said after her decisive win. "We played solid golf both today and yesterday – it’s hard to lose when you’re not making any bogeys." Hull and Woad remained paired despite a modest half‑point contribution on Friday. The English pair fell behind early as Lee and Coughlin captured four straight holes beginning on the fourth. Woad managed a close‑range birdie on the eighth to level the match briefly, but Lee and Coughlin responded with consecutive birdies on the back nine, sealing an emphatic victory with a par on the 13th.
"We both hit it so solidly," Lee remarked after securing her third point of the week. "I just sat back and watched Lauren [Coughlin] work her magic. She hit incredible shots into the green and made some spectacular putts." Rhodes and Nadaud made history as the first rookie duo to win two matches together in a single Solheim Cup.
Their partnership never fell behind, and they achieved the largest winning margin ever recorded by 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 sensible golf – we hit lots of fairways and held the greens, giving ourselves plenty of opportunities." In another unpredictable encounter, Kupcho and Zhang surged two up after six holes, while Henseleit missed three short putts before rallying with Maguire to claim three of the first four holes on the back nine. Their teamwork turned the tide, and despite the United States taking consecutive holes from the 14th, Maguire equalised on the 16th. Europe ultimately clinched the match when Zhang’s approach clipped the bunker lip on the final hole, resulting in a closing bogey for the Americans.
"We knew we weren’t doing anything terribly wrong," Maguire reflected. "We got off to a strong 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." As the competition heads into its final day, the question remains: who will lift the Solheim Cup? The decisive singles matches begin on Sunday at 10:10 am, with live coverage on Sky Sports Golf. Fans can also follow the action via NOW streaming, which offers flexible, contract‑free viewing options.
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