Seven Takeaways from the 2026 Solheim Cup

A Deserved Victory at Home

Whether it’s the Ryder Cup or the Solheim Cup, winning away from home has become one of the greatest accomplishments in golf. Emotion plays such an important role in these events, having the home crowd behind you feels like it’s always worth a couple points. That’s a lot to overcome, even if you do have the best player in the world, which America does in Nelly Korda. The United States was a slight favorite in the sports books entering the week (-110), but if you placed a wager on that outcome, you did so ignoring a lot of historical trends. Europe should never be considered an underdog at home again in any team competition.

That said, I’m convinced the United States missed a golden opportunity to grab a road win for the first time since 2015. The cup was right there, and they let it slip away. Afterward, U.S. captain Angela Stanford fired up the standard American cliché that you can basically set your watch by at this point. The greens were too slow, and the U.S. could not adjust. “I think we just didn't make enough putts,” she said. “Europeans always putt better. I don't know why. Apparently I didn't get to know the superintendent as well as I should have.”

In defeat, deflect some of the blame to the superintendent. It’s now the American Way. Stanford also couldn’t resist taking what felt like a bit of a dig at her own analytics team.

“I'm wondering how honest to be right now,” Stanford said when asked about what role analytics expert Justin Ray played in strategy. “We were missing some pieces this week ... Like, in Spain, we had people, you know, giving us strokes gained in each match, even in practice. And we didn't have that this year.”

Part of what makes this event great is these opportunities don’t come along often. The next time the United States heads to Europe, Korda will be 32. Lauren Coughlin, arguably America’s best Solheim Cup player the last two cycles, will be 37. You only get so many opportunities in your career to accomplish certain goals. It’s one reason why the tears flow so freely when it’s over.

Before we dig in on the blame game — always the fun part of analyzing these events after they end — let’s give a healthy amount of praise to Team Europe and captain Anna Nordqvist. The three-time major winner does not have what I would describe as a dynamic personality. Some of her pairings early in the week nearly backfired. But she was clearly a calming presence for the Europeans. They wanted to play well for her. They felt she was transparent in her decision-making. You don’t have to give inspirational speeches in golf, but you do need your players to trust you. Two years ago, Leona Maguire clearly did not trust captain Suzann Pettersen, and the feeling appeared to be mutual as Maguire played only once before singles. Maguire hasn’t been particularly great this season, missing cuts in four of the five majors, but Nordqvist chose her anyway, and Maguire was once again one of Europe’s emotional pillars all week.

Some players are just born for these events.

Nordqvist’s decision to send Charley Hull and Lottie Woad out repeatedly looked foolish when they only earned a half point in four matches, but Hull and Woad were both excellent in singles on Sunday. It felt like Nordqvist’s faith in them paid off when it really mattered. –Kevin Van Valkenburg

Captaincy Worthy of Nitpicking

Let the second-guessing commence. When play on Friday ended, I had a few nitpicks with Angela Stanford’s pairings, nothing major though. Then the singles lineup came out. Megan Khang out first and Angel Yin out third? It boggles the mind. I don’t think Stanford should’ve left Khang off the team. Her personality and what she brings to the team room clearly matter. Her play through two days had been better than expected, but the culprit for her miserable 2026 season was clearly still an issue at Bernardus: her putter. Without a teammate to help hide the problem, Khang was a questionable choice to roll out first in Sunday singles and Charley Hull finished her off, 3 and 2. The Angel Yin decision is the more offensive of the two. She brought nothing on the course on Friday and Saturday (except costumes and dancing) and was predictably dispatched by Linn Grant, 4 and 3, in singles. Grant wasn’t even spectacular, but it didn’t matter because Yin played her 15 holes 5 over. When you’re the away team, anything you can do to take away the crowd advantage matters. An early red wave would’ve done wonders. Instead, you got blue on the board that never went away.

However, the real blunder of the Stanford captaincy is a case of Heineken. Why, oh why, would you ever give the Euros extra motivation before singles? Celebrate Jennifer Kupcho's heroics on Saturday, that’s fine. But it should’ve been back to business on that bus ride home with every single team member, caddie, assistant captain, and support staff focused on Sunday. The writing was on the wall as soon as those images came out. Bulletin board material served up on a silver platter for Anna Nordqvist and the Euros. If you thought they didn’t take offense, look no further than Mel Reid’s comments Sunday evening. “We’re just happy that we’re the ones now to take two crates of beer on the bus. They drink on Saturday. We drink on Sunday.” –Meg Adkins

Broadcaster to MVP

Alison Lee was the can't-miss kid when she turned pro in 2014. The former No. 1 amateur in the world left UCLA in the middle of her sophomore year, fresh off some major college and amateur wins, and won LPGA Q-School to earn her tour card. Her first year on the LPGA was nothing but successful. Alison was the talk of the tour with her stunning swing, and thanks to a half-dozen top 10s, she played her way onto Juli Inkster’s 2015 U.S. Solheim Cup team. She won her singles match for her only point of the week, a crucial point that helped guide the Americans to their last Solheim Cup win in Europe (and shockingly their last victorious Sunday singles session).

We all thought Alison was destined to be the next great American star. Then the struggles came. Still trying to navigate a college academic (and non-academic) life, the can't-miss kid started to miss. It was a slow burn that came to a head in 2018. Putter struggles. Equipment changes. Driver yips. It wasn't pretty. A middling comeback was derailed through the COVID seasons, forcing Alison to find starts on any worldwide tour she could. She found hope in a long putter, rebuilt her golf swing, and most importantly, started to believe in herself. Ten years removed from turning pro, she found her way back on another winning Solheim Cup team in 2024, but earned just one point in three matches. Her son, Levi, was then born in April 2025. Alison navigated another turning point on her road, remaining a top-level player as a new mother to claw her way back on another Solheim Cup squad, one top 10 at a time. Alison entered the week with a dismal 2-5-0 record, which makes her undefeated 4-0-0 performance at Bernardus all the more impressive.

“At the start of the year you and I were co-workers,” Lee joked with Tom Abbott on Friday, “but now here I am playing in the Solheim Cup. I mean it means so much. It was really, really hard to get here, a lot of long days trying to practice, sleepless nights, just trying to do my best to be the best mom I can as well.”

The team result wasn’t in the Americans’ favor, but Alison did her part, flipping a 4-down deficit through 11 holes in her singles match against Esther Henseleit to win, 1 up. From nearly quitting the game to becoming the MVP of Team USA, I couldn't be more impressed by what Alison has accomplished these last few years. –Matthew Galloway

An All-Time Beatdown

Look, was it awesome from an American perspective when Jennifer Kupcho shouted “Vamos!” at the notoriously slow Carlota Ciganda after she rolled in a 90-foot putt on 17 late Saturday? It was. But it also felt a bit like taunting a movie villain before the credits have rolled. Ciganda — who thrives on emotion — drew Kupcho in singles and thrashed her, 4 and 2, ultimately securing the clinching point for Europe. Then she offered up one of the best quotes in the history of this event afterward.

“I was really happy to see that I was playing against Kupcho,” Ciganda said. “She’s a fighter, I’m a fighter. But today I knew she had no chance. I was like, ‘I want to kill you.’” –Kevin Van Valkenburg

Stellar Swedes

European captain Anna Nordqvist backed her fellow Swedes to deliver, and did they ever. Linn Grant rolled Angel Yin, 4 and 3, in singles to go 4-0-0 on the week, one of two players to do so (Alison Lee). Her other three wins all came with relative ease alongside Maja Stark, who went 3-1-0. The pair never played the 18th hole all week, and could be a nightmare for future American teams. –Adam Woodard

Rookie Report

U.S. captains went with experience on the road while the Europeans took advantage of a home game to introduce some young talent, and Europe clearly got the better end of things. At just 22 years old, rookie Lottie Woad entered the week as Europe’s highest-ranked player and played all five matches. The Englishwoman was 0-3-1 entering singles, but delivered her first win when her team needed her most, clinching the 14th point that all but guaranteed Europe’s victory. The young star of the weekend was Nastasia Nadaud, who sent a jolt through the European crowd and changed the atmosphere on Sunday afternoon with a 3-and-2 win against Andrea Lee to cap a stellar 3-1-0 debut. Mimi Rhodes was 2-1-0, her lone loss coming in singles against world No. 1 Nelly Korda. Julia Lopez Ramirez made the most of her two sessions, earning a tie alongside fellow Spaniard Carlota Ciganda in Friday fourball and a 3-and-2 win against Yealimi Noh in singles.

On the American side, Auston Kim was 1-3-0, but showed some fight late in her singles loss to Woad. A rookie at 35, Lindy Duncan delivered in her debut, going 2-1-0 with a singles win against Maja Stark. –Adam Woodard

Details Matter 

The atmosphere at Bernardus was top-notch all week long. Two years ago, the LPGA was to blame for an all-time botch job when a transportation nightmare led to empty stands for the first session on Friday morning. The LET organizers knocked it out of the park in the Netherlands. From a seamless bike commute that was embraced by locals, to lively yet respectful crowds (it can be done!) who turned out in droves every single day despite lousy weather on Sunday, Bernardus hit all the right notes. Add in sustainability measures that even the WM brass in Scottsdale should be jealous of, and it was clear that the details mattered this week. The Solheim Cup is a banner week for women’s golf. An opportunity that only comes around every two years. Kudos to all involved for getting it right, allowing the golf to shine and take center stage. Don’t be surprised if the Netherlands gets to host another Cup in the near future. –Meg Adkins