Why we should expect another Solheim Cup thriller

Recent past suggests this week's Solheim Cup volition beryllium different epic clash to travel blistery connected the heels of Great Britain and Ireland's melodramatic triumph implicit the United States successful the Walker Cup.

The bonzer climax astatine Lahinch past Sunday, wherever GB&I won with the past putt of the match, evoked memories of the past 3 Solheim Cups staged successful Europe.

Three years agone successful Spain the contention ended successful a melodramatic 14-14 necktie to let a delirious European squad to clasp connected to the trophy, having initially wrestled it from American hands with a azygous constituent triumph astatine Gleneagles successful 2019.

Then it was Suzann Pettersen's gut wrenching and yet palmy putt connected the last greenish astatine the Scottish people that decided the outcome.

And the erstwhile Solheim Cup held connected continental ungraded was a 2015 azygous constituent distant triumph that capped an astonishing comeback by the United States successful Germany.

So the past 3 matches successful Europe person had nary much than a constituent successful them and the location squad and the US are tied connected aggregate astatine 42 points apiece.

"I deliberation it conscionable shows however important each crippled is," said British fig 1 Lottie Woad, who makes her debut for Europe this week.

"Even if you're a mates down early, you tin get it backmost and adjacent conscionable getting a fractional constituent could beryllium vital. So I deliberation you've conscionable got to person that mentality that immoderate fractional constituent oregon constituent helps."

Woad's compatriot and imaginable spouse Charley Hull believes it tin beryllium tougher playing astatine home. "We get large crowds successful some places, but obviously, it's a small much unit implicit present erstwhile it's a location Solheim Cup," she said.

"You've conscionable got to woody with it, conscionable enactment focused, and beryllium successful the zone."

Woad is among 4 rookies successful the European squad joining chap Englishwoman Mimi Rhodes, France's Nastasia Nadaud and the large hitting Spaniard Julia Lopez Ramirez.

"I can't hold for them to tee it up," said European skipper Anna Nordqvist. "It's ever casual to effort to picture to the rookies what it's similar playing successful the Solheim, but it's thing that you request to experience.

"And you person to get your ain consciousness for it. But I can't hold for them to consciousness what it's similar stepping up connected that archetypal tee."

Players hole for the intimidation of packed crowds successful a immense grandstand astir 3 sides of the opening tee, but of much value volition beryllium the play arsenic matches scope their climax down the closing agelong of holes.

And that volition beryllium amplified further if it is again adjacent successful the closing singles matches connected Sunday. "Obviously it's elevated," said 2025 US Open victor Maja Stark.

"But you're inactive conscionable playing play and you're trying to bash your champion and you're trying to bushed 1 person. There's not overmuch much you tin do.

"You can't trust connected team-mates connected Sunday afternoon. You person got to spell backmost and retrieve what's important for maine now."

The three-day contention starts connected Friday with 4 foursomes - alternate changeable - matches, with 4 fourball matches to follow. That format is replicated connected Saturday earlier the 12 singles matches connected Sunday.

American skipper Angela Stanford is bullish astir her line-up's quality to grip the unsocial unit of the Solheim Cup. "I deliberation they're precise mentally tough," she said.

"They don't fto things fuss them. They fto things benignant of rotation disconnected their backmost if thing doesn't spell the mode they planned and they look truly focused."

Ironically nary of the 24 players are bringing stellar idiosyncratic signifier into this match, not adjacent Nelly Korda, the satellite fig 1 who claimed her 4th rubric of the twelvemonth by winning the US Women's Open successful June.

Korda has had lone 2 top-10s since that large triumph astatine the commencement of the summertime and finished successful a lowly stock of 50th spot astatine the caller FM Championship.

Since Korda's US Open triumph determination person been nary LPGA wins for immoderate of the Solheim players.

For Europe lone Celine Boutier and Woad person claimed titles this play and American Lauren Coughlin is the sole different circuit victor successful 2026 connected show.

But that backdrop volition beryllium forgotten erstwhile it comes to head-to-head matchplay. As the Walker Cup showed it goes to a rarified level erstwhile enactment into the squad environment.

"You tin suffer oregon triumph immoderate lucifer careless of rankings oregon however you're playing astatine the moment," said Linn Grant, Stark's Swedish compatriot who has missed the chopped successful 5 of her past six events.

"When everyone shows up connected Friday, you're conscionable going to bring your champion game.

"It's truthful antithetic playing matchplay successful this setting. It's benignant of similar conscionable everyone's champion crippled conscionable shows up usually which makes it a batch much amusive to play arsenic well."

11-13 September

Bernardus Golf Club, Netherlands

They are competing connected a investigating people astatine Bernardus Golf adjacent Hertogenbosch successful the Netherlands, which hosted the Dutch Open connected the DP World Tour from 2021-23. It has a Surrey heathland feel, that tin play similar a seaside links successful definite areas.

But that accelerated moving facet has been compromised by the storms that lashed the layout connected Wednesday. "I deliberation it's a large people for matchplay," said Stark.

"There are a batch of bunkers that you don't truly privation to beryllium in. You tin person a batch of truly agelong irons into par-four holes arsenic well."

The par threes are besides apt to make plentifulness of drama, particularly the 15th wherever matches volition scope a important stage. "It is my favourite spread some visually and strategically," says Bernardus nine nonrecreational Roel Verdonschot.

"It is built for drama. Players indispensable determine whether to instrumentality the hazard and onslaught the pin for a abbreviated birdie accidental oregon play towards the mediate of the greenish and judge a longer putt.

"The tee is sheltered, truthful the upwind tin beryllium hard to feel, adjacent though it is inactive influencing the shot."

And immoderate lucifer that goes the region volition impact an exceptionally pugnacious 389-yard par-four closing hole. There is h2o from the near of the tee, portion bunkers await players attempting to play safely towards the right.

And the greenish is tiny with a heavy run-off to the near and h2o to the right. "The 18th is the astir hard playing spread astatine Bernardus," said Verdonschot.

"You look a tee changeable that you cannot spend to miss left, but you bash not privation to miss close either. If a adjacent lucifer reaches the 18th, determination is simply a precise bully accidental of drama."

Which is wholly successful keeping with Solheim Cup matches, particularly those staged successful Europe.