Europe deliver again after Team USA’s Solheim celebrations come too soon

“They drink on Saturday, we drink on Sunday!”

That was the chant echoing around the Team Europe bus on Sunday evening after another Solheim Cup home success, where Anna Nordqvist overcame Team USA on the final day to regain the trophy.

The contest had been delicately poised heading into a rainy sit singles session at Bernardus Golf, with the momentum seemingly with the Americans after late drama in the Saturday fourballs saw them pull the match back into an 8-8 tie.

Jennifer Kupcho had holed over 110 feet of putts over her final two holes to snatch victory with Lindy Duncan over Carlota Ciganda and Celine Boutier, a result Team USA captain Angela Stanford said had “turned the tide” in their favour.

A video of the American team drinking beers on their bus that evening ended up being a premature celebration and an easy motivator for Team Europe, who won six of the top eight singles matches to regain control of the contest.

Lottie Woad’s point-winning moment will be remembered as the one that clinched the Solheim Cup, taking Europe to 14 points with Carlota Ciganda already guaranteed at least a half-point, but it was the Spaniard who closed out her win and made it official.

Boisterous scenes around the course and in the trophy presentation continued off it, with a viral social media clip of Dame Laura Davies handing out beers to the European team on the bus and their celebrations running long into the night.

A final score of 15-13 didn’t really reflect the final-day dominance of Nordqvist’s side, with Team USA’s largely flat top order – Nelly Korda and Alison Lee aside – unable to follow up their jubilance of the previous night and put pressure on Europe.

Big role again from fired-up Ciganda

Few embrace the Solheim Cup more than Ciganda, who went from Europe’s first-tee supporter in the opening session to producing multiple clutch moments as the week progressed.

The veteran was Europe’s hero on Friday, where a dramatic final-hole par gave her and Julia Lopez Ramirez a half-point that avoided Team USA leading after day one, then was on the receiving end of Kupcho’s birdie-birdie finish the following day.

Ciganda gained revenged over Kupcho in the singles and closed out her eighth appearance in style, becoming just the second player in history to earn the clinching point in two different Solheim Cups.

“I was really happy to see that I was playing against Kupcho,” Ciganda admitted. “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.”

Europe’s star pairing fails to deliver

Charley Hull and Woad became the first pairing ever to tandem in all four sessions and broke several unwanted records during a disappointing first two days, despite playing better than their scores suggested.

They were both inside the top four for European birdies made over those sessions but returned just 0.5 points, with a record-equalling 6&5 loss in the Saturday morning foursomes among the three defeats.

Nordqvist was questioned for not splitting the pair on day two and came under further scrutiny for sending out Hull in the singles, a decision she described as a “no-brainer” before watching the 30-year-old earn Europe’s first point of the day.

Hull said it was a “frustrating” week that saw her and Woad struggle to hole putts, with both – until their singles victories – in danger of becoming the first to participate in five sessions and not have any wins.

“Being the leader of this team, we knew she [Hull] was going to deliver,” Nordqvist said. “It was blue on the board early. Lottie [Woad] has been very steady this week – it was nice to see her finally hole some putts”

Grant joins exclusive club as Europe’s MVP

Team Europe’s star performance came from Linn Grant, who became the first player to go from earning zero points in the previous Solheim Cup to earn at least four points in the next.

Grant became only the ninth player to go 4-0 or better during a Solheim Cup, with three victories alongside Maja Stark followed by a commanding 4&3 win over Angel Yin in the singles.

The all-Swedish pairing between the close friends was also seen in the 2023 edition and likely again in future Solheim Cups, with Grant overcoming shocking pre-event form – having five missed cuts in six starts – to finish as Europe’s leading scorer.

“That is a really cool feeling that you have a person like this on your team, that you know you can just go out and you know them inside and out and their game,” Stark explained about Grant. “It felt like, for Anna, it was a no-brainer to put us together.”

Nordqvist rewarded for captain’s picks

Europe’s captain’s picks all delivered at least 1.5 points each, with Leona Maguire stepping up – in another record-breaking display – and the other three rookies contributing to push Nordqvist’s side to the target required.

Maguire won both foursomes sessions alongside Esther Henseleit to become the quickest player to reach 10 match wins, taking just 14 matches and one faster than the previous record.

She briefly had the highest winning percentage in Solheim Cup history until her loss alongside Celine Boutier in the fourballs, while Ramirez responded to being left out throughout Saturday to finish unbeaten from her two matches.

“I said from the beginning her picks were really good,” Stanford insisted, having seen her three picks deliver five points for Team USA. “She picked well because this golf course needed high-ball hitters and that’s what she did.”

Rhodes shines in ‘unexpected’ partnership

Had the final round of the AIG Women’s Open played out differently last month, Rhodes would likely not have teed it up in the Netherlands. Instead, she leaves this week as a strong Team Europe options for many Solheim Cups ahead.

Henseleit finishing runner-up at Royal Lytham – the final qualifying event – saw her overtake Chiara Tamburlini in the European points list, securing Nanna Koerstz Madsen qualification via the world rankings and freeing up an extra captain’s pick.

Rhodes took full advantage and was an instant hit, revelling in the first-tee spotlight and forming a winning partnership in both foursomes and foursomes with Nastasia Nadaud – the first rookie pairing to win two matches together at a Solheim Cup.

“A lot of people questioned why would you send out two rookies, but I said why not?!” Nordqvist explained. “And they delivered. I never felt like they were rookies.”

Nadaud confirms status as European star

Only Grant ended the week with more points for Team Europe than Nadaud, who was barely inside the world’s top 150 a year ago but continued her meteoric rise with a Solheim Cup debut to remember.

A strong friendship off the course with Rhodes fuelled an equally impressive dynamic on it, with their 4&3 foursomes win on Saturday morning matching the largest-winning margin by a rookie pair.

Her performance that morning – where she was surprised to have even been selected – led to her being sent back out with Maguire that day, while her 3&2 singles win over Andrea Lee came at a time where Team USA threatened to wrestle back some control.

“Getting three points for Europe is just absolutely crazy – got no words for that,” said Nadaud, who will now have her sights set on representing Europe again in years to come. “Everything just happened so fast!”

A bright future ahead for Team Europe

It would be little surprise to see the majority of Nordqvist’s winning dozen back together in the future to try and win on away soil, given seven of them will still be aged under 30 for the 2028 edition in Virginia.

Four rookies making an immediate impact only highlighted the strength and depth of Europe’s options, given the home victory came without recent Solheim Cup regulars Georgia Hall, Emily Kristine Pedersen and Madelene Sagstrom.

It was also the first Solheim Cup since 2007 without Nordqvist being involved as a player, having announced her retirement mid-season and ruling herself out of a captain’s pick, but could the Swede be back again in the future?

“You’re never going to say never,” Nordqvist said in their victory press conference, when asked if she would consider taking on captaincy again in 2028. “I don’t know what my future holds.”

When Europe last won outright on home soil in 2019, Catriona Matthew returned as captain again to lead them to away glory in the following edition. Whether it’s Nordqvist at the wheel or not in Virginia, that will be the next target.

What’s next?

The next edition of the Solheim Cup will be in 2028 and take place at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky from September 8-10 that year. Get latest Sky Sports deals or stream with no contract on NOW.

Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com