Europe Grabs 4-Match Lead Early on Solheim Cup Final Day

Q: What sparked the stunning late comebacks that neutralized Europe's fierce early dominance at Bernardus Golf?

The late swing was sparked by a surge of clutch U.S. shot-making and Europe’s inability to close out matches it had controlled early. As Europe built leads across the board at Bernardus Golf, the Americans stayed alive in the tighter matches and then flipped them with decisive moments on the back nine. Yealimi Noh and Andrea Lee erased Charley Hull and Lottie Woad’s advantage, with Noh’s eagle at the par-4 eighth and birdie at the ninth changing the match’s direction before the U.S. pair closed out a 1-up win. Rose Zhang and Auston Kim also seized control early and never trailed in their 3-and-2 victory. The biggest momentum shift came from Jennifer Kupcho. With Europe seemingly set to bank another point, Kupcho holed a stunning putt of about 91 to 93 feet on the 17th to square the match, then poured in another long birdie putt on the 18th to steal a 1-up win alongside Lindy Duncan. That finish effectively silenced the home crowd and wiped out much of Europe’s earlier command. Europe’s own players pointed to the other key factor: missed putts. Lottie Woad said Europe “didn’t hole many putts,” while their opponents were converting from mid-range. Captain Anna Nordqvist also acknowledged that the Americans’ clutch putts were hard to counter. So the comebacks were driven less by a single collapse than by a combination of U.S. resilience, back-nine birdies and eagles, and extraordinary pressure putting—especially from Kupcho—that turned Europe’s fast start into a level contest.

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 13

Europe moved ahead in four singles matches early Sunday, with Esther Henseleit 4UP through nine, Madelene Sagstrom? no report given, and Linn Grant 3UP through eight setting the pace.
Charley Hull stayed 2UP through 11 against Megan Khang, while Lottie Woad edged 1UP through four after Auston Kim missed a short birdie chance.
The board also showed Europe 2UP in two more matches — Mimi Rhodes over Nelly Korda through eight and Emily Kristine Pedersen? no report given, and Nanna Koerstz Madsen over Jennifer Kupcho? no report given through six.
Several other ties remained tight, including Celine Boutier all square with Rose Zhang after one and Carlota Ciganda all square with Jennifer Kupcho after one, underscoring Europe’s broad early pressure across the session.