Europe defeats USA 15-13 at Solheim Cup in Den Bosch, September 13

Europe defeated the United States 15-13 at the 2026 Solheim Cup in Den Bosch, Netherlands, on Sunday, September 13, reclaiming the trophy and extending its dominance in women's golf's premier biennial championship. Lottie Woad, a 22-year-old English player making her debut, holed a putt from 2 feet on No. 17 to defeat Auston Kim 2 and 1 in singles, guaranteeing Europe would reach the 14.5 points needed to win. The victory marked a reversal from the teams' position after 36 holes, when they were tied at 8-8. Europe won six of the first eight singles matches on Sunday as heavy rain fell during play. Carlota Ciganda, the player who had delivered the decisive point when Europe retained the trophy in 2023, won her singles match 4-and-2 over Jennifer Kupcho. Charley Hull opened singles for Europe with a 3-and-2 win over Megan Khan, who had been undefeated in singles play. Alison Lee came from 4 down after 11 holes to beat Esther Henseleit 1 up, a comeback described as the greatest in Solheim Cup history. Europe fielded four debutants: Nastasia Nadaud (21), Julia Lopez Ramirez (23), Mimi Rhodes (24), and Woad. According to BBC Sport reporting, Woad was the only automatic qualifier; the other three were captain's picks. Nadaud, a Frenchwoman, collected three points during the tournament, a top contribution. Only Nelly Kord (world number one), Alison Lee, and Lauren Coughlin collected more, with Lee and Kord each taking 4 points and Coughlin 3.5, per CBS Sports. But Mimi Rhodes was the only European rookie to lose in singles; Kord, the world's top-ranked player, defeated her on the final day. European captain Anna Nordqvist, who announced her retirement from playing two weeks before the tournament, relied heavily on the four rookies and Leona Maguire, another captain's pick. Together, those five players yielded 8.5 points; the U.S. captain's picks contributed 5 points, per BBC Sport reporting. Europe have won three of the last five editions of the Solheim Cup, with the only loss in that span coming in Virginia two years ago. The United States remains winless on the road since 2015, despite possessing the world's top-ranked player in Kord. The U.S. leads the all-time Solheim Cup series 11-8, with one draw. U.S. captain Angela Stanford acknowledged Europe's execution. "The Europeans played great today, and that's the way it goes," Stanford said. "Their backs were against the wall, they had nothing to lose, and that's exactly what they did, they came out and played well." Jennifer Kupcho had delivered a notable moment on Saturday, holing a putt from 93 feet in a four-balls match against Ciganda to help the U.S. win that contest.