The Solheim Cup delivered plenty of drama at Bernardus, Netherlands. The European team took an early charge on Sunday to win the biennial event 15-13. But some of its most memorable moments happened away from the obvious headlines. As Europe fought back to reclaim the Cup, emotions boiled over, old frustrations finally faded, and the victory sparked a celebration that captured the team’s spirit.
The week delivered several rare, mesmerizing moments. Nelly Korda, for instance, lost her cool to the loud crowd during her singles game against Mimi Rhodes. On the 16th hole, she turned toward a spectator and told them to “have some class.” Then there were late heroics of Jennifer Kupcho during her Saturday fourballs game. Who could forget that 90-footer birdie on the 17th?
But here are the top three moments that we believe topped those.
1. Carlota Ciganda had one message for Jennifer Kupcho
Jennifer Kupcho had given the United States a huge lift on Saturday. Playing alongside Lindy Duncan and against Carlota Ciganda and Celine Boutier, she birdied the 17th and 18th holes with spectacular long-range putts. This helped the Americans level the competition at 8-8 heading into Sunday singles. Captain Angela Stanford described it as a moment that made the American team believe they could do it.
The match was extremely dramatic because Kupcho had shushed the crowd after birding the 10th hole. Even when Team USA won that match, she cupped her hand around her ear. What’s more, when she birdied the 18th hole to win, she shouted, “vamos” (a Spanish word that means “Let’s go!”).
While she said it wasn’t intended for her Spanish opponent, Carlota Ciganda, she did add that if Ciganda can be loud, Kupcho can be loud, too.
So when Carlota Ciganda discovered that she would face Kupcho in singles, she was all in for the revenge.
“I was really happy to see that I was playing against Kupcho. She’s a fighter, I’m a fighter, and I told her, ‘Look, great playing.’ I mean, even yesterday what she did was amazing on 17 and 18. But today I knew she had no chance. I was like, I want to k*ll you,” the Spanish professional said.
Ciganda backed up the words on the course. She defeated Jennifer Kupcho 4&2 to give Europe its 15th point.
2. Charley Hull finally got her moment
Until Team Europe won, the Solheim Cup week had been frustrating for Charley Hull and Lottie Woad. They are the top-ranked European pair, but they struggled to turn good golf into points during the team sessions. During Friday foursomes, they lost a point to Allisen Corpuz and Nelly Korda. Playing against Yealimi Noh and Angel Yin during Friday fourballs, they could manage only half a point with a tie.
The story got worse on Saturday as the same pairing lost both the foursomes and fourballs matches. Fans criticized not just the two golfers but captain Anna Nordqvist, too, for her decision to keep trusting the duo.
But Sunday changed everything.
Nordqvist sent Hull out first in the singles, and she responded with a 3&2 victory over Megan Khang. It was Hull’s first full point of the week and gave Europe an early boost. As Hull returned to her teammates, she was hugging everyone. When she spotted Woad, she delivered a humorous one-liner she is well known for.
“Finally got our points, didn’t we, Lottie!” she told Woad.
While Woad had not had her round until then, she did get her point, too. In fact, it was Lottie Woad who went on to beat Auston Kim 2&1 to help the European team get the point the team needed to reclaim the Cup.
For Hull, Woad and Nordqvist, the sequence was especially satisfying. The pairing, which had endured so much scrutiny, contributed when the pressure was highest.
Charley Hull had a lot of support during the singles. Besides the crowd, her best friend, Annabel Dimmock, was on the course to cheer for her. “Come on Charley!” she shouted at the tee of the opening hole to support her friend.
After her win, Hull was even seen handing out gifts to fans. This shows that she was confident and already prepared for her win on Sunday.
3. The celebration told its own story
Lottie Woad’s winning putt triggered an immediate rush from her European teammates. Everyone, including players, captain, and caddies, embraced her on the 17th green. But the celebration did not stop there.
When the event finally came to an end with all 12 Sunday singles matches completed, everyone, including the support staff, came together and walked up the 18th fairway with their arms around each other’s shoulders. What made this moment special was the wide smile on their faces, especially captain Anna Nordqvist, who was right there in the front holding the Solheim Cup trophy in her hand.
They wore their respective country’s flag on their shoulders and were proudly singing We Are The Champions by Queen after a hard-fought victory. The crowd that cheered them all along joined them from the grandstands to make it even more special.
Then came the champagne and off-course celebration. At the entryway of their camp, staff had created a sort of guard of honor for the competitors. Golfers came in running and clapped the hands of staff standing on both sides of the entryway before joining others who were dancing and celebrating their victory.
It was a fitting image for a team that had spent the entire week talking about unity. But Team Europe had earned that Sunday celebration.
From Ciganda’s ruthless words to Hull’s emotional breakthrough and the team’s unforgettable walk up the 18th, these smaller moments helped define a Solheim Cup that Europe will remember for years.