09/13/26 11:54:00
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09/13 11:52 CDT Vamos! Team Europe regains Solheim Cup from the United States
as Ciganda and Woad seal victory
Vamos! Team Europe regains Solheim Cup from the United States as Ciganda and
Woad seal victory
By STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer
DEN BOSCH, Netherlands (AP) --- Lottie Woad assured it. Carlota Ciganda --- who
else? --- sealed it.
Vamos! The Solheim Cup is back in the hands of Team Europe.
The blue wave came early in the Sunday singles at Bernardus Golf and never went
away, all the way through to Woad holing a putt from 2 feet on No. 17 to win
her match and guarantee the Europeans would reach the 14 1/2 points needed to
reclaim the crystal trophy from the United States.
Woad punched the air and jumped into the arms of her teammates who were
flooding onto the green in celebration.
Within 10 minutes, Ciganda, inevitably, officially got Europe to its victory
target.
The Spaniard, who got the decisive point when Europe retained the Solheim Cup
in 2023, completed a 4-and-2 victory over Jennifer Kupcho, a feisty American
who had roared "Vamos!" ("Let's go!") when holing an outrageous 93-foot putt on
the way to beating Ciganda in a spiky four-balls match on Saturday.
"Today I was really motivated to beat her," Ciganda said, "because I knew it
was going to be important."
Strains of "Ol, Ol, Ol, Ol" drifted across the course as the last matches
finished and the European team and staff celebrated with Champagne.
Captain Anna Nordqvist, her assistants as well as the players and their caddies
formed a line, put their arms over one another's shoulders, and walked as one
up the 18th fairway toward the green where Celine Boutier --- the remaining
European player on the course --- was wrapping up her match.
When Boutier finished, she piled into the mass celebrations.
The final score: Europe 15, the United States 13.
To a backdrop of blue-and-yellow smoke, Nordqvist hoisted aloft the Solheim Cup
on a podium in front of a first-tee grandstand filled with jubilant fans, then
gave each of her celebrating players and assistants a touch of the trophy.
"This feels so good," said Nordqvist, who announced her retirement from playing
two weeks ago. "There's just been so much hard work this week and in the last
two years leading up to this."
The Europeans have now won three of the last five editions, the only loss in
that stretch coming in Virginia two years ago. The U.S. team didn't have
possession of the trophy for long and is still without a win on the road since
2015.
"The Europeans played great today, and that's the way it goes," U.S. captain
Angela Stanford said. "So their backs were against the wall, they had nothing
to lose, and that's exactly what they did --- they came out and played well."
The teams were tied at 8-8 after two days and set out Sunday in heavy rain for
the 12 singles matches, with Europe going out fast, putting blue all over the
scoreboard and ultimately winning six of the first eight matches. Ciganda, in
Match 11, added the crucial other victory.
Early wins for Charley Hull and Linn Grant laid the platform for victory, the
only wobble for Europe coming when U.S. player Alison Lee came from 4 down
after 11 holes to beat Esther Henseleit, 1 up, for the greatest comeback in
Solheim Cup history.
Rookies contributed massively for Europe all week and especially Sunday, with
Woad, Nastasia Nadaud and Julia Lopez Ramirez all winning matches in the
singles.
Nadaud, a 21-year-old Frenchwoman, was a revelation this week, winning three
points. Only Grant, Lee (both 4) and Lauren Coughlin (3 1/2) collected more.
"I think it's been one of the best teams that we've had in the last few years,"
Ciganda said. "Everyone just a unit, a team. That's what Europe is about."
The U.S. leads the all-time series 11-8, with one draw.
Redemption for Woad and Hull
A big part of the narrative of the week was the misfiring performances of
Europe's highest-ranked players.
Hull and Woad, two English players, were paired in each of the first four
sessions --- a first for a Solheim Cup --- and only contributed a half-point.
Redemption came Sunday, with Hull leading from the front --- she beat Megan
Khan, previously undefeated in singles, 3 and 2 in Match 1 --- and Woad going 4
up after nine holes against Auston Kim before winning 2 and 1.
"She's been playing so good this week and not really getting anything off of
it," Nordqvist said of Woad. "But holing the winning putt, I don't think that's
ever going to be hard to (forget) for her."
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