The Solheim Cup stood tied 8–8 heading into Sunday’s singles. Europe needed 14½ points to win, while the defending U.S. team needed 14 to retain the Cup. But Europe started piling up victories, and Lottie Woad sealed the win after defeating Auston Kim 2&1. Despite delivering the decisive point, however, the 22-year-old expressed disappointment with her earlier performance during the press conference.
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“I was pretty disappointed. Felt like I was playing good golf and not getting the points, and felt like I was kind of letting everyone down,” she said.
Woad felt underwhelmed after earning only a half-point in her first two days of team matches alongside Charley Hull. But Captain Anna Nordqvist, who announced her professional retirement two weeks ago, helped her regain her confidence.
“Then the captains kind of spoke to me and said, the stat that I was third on birdies, so I was playing good golf and just had to trust that, and that’s golf sometimes. Ends up, I got the winning putt,” Woad said.
Yes, Woad had sunk the crucial putt that helped her team win. Although she didn’t know she had the winning putt then, Woad had a sense that it would come down to her or her teammate Carlota Ciganda.
“I knew it was mine or Carlota’s match,” Woad added. “And when Auston made those three birdies in a row, that was great golf from her, and I just had to try and stay steady, and the moment on 16 was a key one, definitely.”
When Woad sank the winning putt, teammates, including captain Anna Nordqvist, swarmed the green in celebration, and that’s when it clicked for Woad that victory was Europe’s. When asked how quickly she realized she was making the winning putt, she added, “Not until after, but I knew it was to win my match.”
The 22-year-old, who made her Solheim Cup debut, started strongly with birdies on the 4th and 5th to build a 2-up lead through two holes. Woad then reeled off back-to-back birdies on the 8th and 9th to stretch the advantage to 4 up after the front nine, looking firmly in control of the eighth match of the day.
Kim mounted a determined fightback on the back nine, winning three consecutive holes from the 12th to the 14th to close the gap and inject real tension into the contest. Woad steadied herself, however, claiming the 16th with a birdie to restore a 2-up lead with two holes remaining. On the 17th green, Kim missed her putt, which would have prolonged the match.
But Woad calmly rolled in a 2-foot par putt to seal a victory. The point pushed Europe to an unassailable 14-10 lead, guaranteeing the Cup with Carlota Ciganda already assured of at least a half-point elsewhere.
And Ciganda appears to have known that she would play this small but important role in Europe’s victory.
“Today I was really motivated to beat her because I knew it was going to be important,” Ciganda said. “I think it’s been one of the best teams that we’ve had in the last few years. Everyone just a unit, a team. That’s what Europe is about.”
Team USA managed five singles victories:
- Alison Lee 1-up over Esther Henseleit
- Nelly Korda 4&2 over Mimi Rhodes
- Lauren Coughlin 2&1 over Leona Maguire
- Lindy Duncan 3&1 over Maja Stark
- Rose Zhang 2-up over Celine Boutier
Team Europe, meanwhile, had seven wins:
- Charley Hull 3&2 over Megan Khang
- Linn Grant 4&3 over Angel Yin
- Nanna Koerstz Madsen 2&1 over Allisen Corpuz
- Nastasia Nadaud 3&2 over Andrea Lee
- Julia Lopez Ramirez 3&2 over Yealimi Noh
- Lottie Woad 2&1 over Auston Kim
- Carlota Ciganda 4&2 over Jennifer Kupcho
Notably, Europe’s 15-13 victory over the United States marks the third time in the last four competitions that it has either won or retained the Cup. While the Americans won the 2024 edition, they have not won the tournament on European soil since 2015. For Woad, meanwhile, the Solheim Cup will be a strong launching pad for the next season.