Ole, Ole, Ole.

What a tournament. What a finish, What a victory. Europe reign supreme at Bernardus Golf to win back the Solheim Cup.

The crowds were amazing, the course was supreme, and the golf was sublime. Captain Nordquist had the final say about selections when her English duo delivered on the final day. The decision to put out Charlie Hull and Lottie Woad in all four sessions on the first two days was looking dubious when they only returned ½ point. But all was forgotten come Sunday afternoon, When Charlie Hull put the first blue point on the board and then Littie Woad sealed the Cup on the 17th hole with Carlota Ciganda already guaranteed a t least ½ point leading 3 up going down 16.

Yes, the golf was good, but it was the European crowds who were the real stars of the show. The uniforms and costumes, the singing and chants, were colourful and loud and did not let up over the whole of the three days. The atmosphere on the 1st tee was electric and many of the players bought it encouraging clapping and cheering as they teed off.

Perhaps the best part of the crowd performance was that it was not fuelled by booze but by enthusiasm for golf. None of the horrors of Bethpage Black or the men’s majors which are all too often spoiled by boorish behaviour and banal shoutouts. ‘Mashed potato’ really has nothing to do with golf.

The Detail

Europe beat the United States 15-13 at Bernardus Golf after a Sunday singles session that swung one way and then the other before Lottie Woad delivered the point that sealed it.

The two sides went into the final day locked at 8-8, and it was Europe who struck first when Charley Hull never trailed against Megan Khang, closing out a 3&2 win in the opening match to settle the home side's nerves. Linn Grant followed with the most one-sided result of the day, beating Angel Yin 4&3 to finish the week with four points from five matches, matched only by the USA's Alison Lee.

The USA hit straight back through the middle of the order. Esther Henseleit led Alison Lee by four holes with seven to play before the American produced the biggest singles comeback at the Solheim Cup since 2013, winning five of the last seven holes to snatch a 1up victory. Rookie Mimi Rhodes, who had been unbeaten alongside Nastasia Nadaud in the foursomes, also fell to the USA, beaten 4&2 by world number one Nelly Korda in the fourth match out.

Europe answered in the matches directly behind. Nanna Koerstz Madsen saw off Allisen Corpuz 2&1, Nadaud made it back-to-back wins in as many days with a 3&2 defeat of Andrea Lee, and Julia Lopez Ramirez beat Yealimi Noh by the same margin to push Europe back in front.

It was Woad, though, who provided the moment the home crowd at Bernardus had been waiting for. Sent out in the eighth match against Auston Kim after a torrid week alongside Hull that had yielded just half a point from four sessions, Woad found her form when it mattered most, closing out a 2&1 win to take Europe to the 14.5 points required to retain the trophy outright and confirm they would leave Sunday with the Cup regardless of the matches still out on the course.

Carlota Ciganda added the exclamation point soon after, beating Jennifer Kupcho 4&2 in front of a vocal European gallery to move the final margin further clear, before the USA claimed the last two points on the course through Maja Stark's conqueror Lindy Duncan and Rose Zhang, who saw off Celine Boutier 2up in the final match to leave the finishing score at 15-13.

For Hull and Woad, the singles win offered some redemption after the pairing's difficult week together, in which they returned just half a point from four sessions including Saturday's 6&5 hammering. For Rhodes, the loss to Korda ended what had otherwise been an outstanding Solheim Cup debut, the Australian-connected rookie having gone unbeaten in her two foursomes appearances alongside Nadaud before sitting out Saturday's fourballs.

The win sees Europe reclaim the trophy at the first attempt after the USA's victory in Virginia in 2024 and continues the Solheim Cup's recent run of tightly fought finishes. Captain Anna Nordqvist's decision to stick with Hull and Woad as a pairing throughout the week despite their results was vindicated in the end, with both players contributing to the winning margin in the singles.

The Verdict

A fantastic three days of golf and entertainment. Yet again Europe prevail in a team format when the stats and rankings would suggest a USA victory. The Europeans mostly appeared to have more fun and brought more visible passion to the game. Jennifer Kupcho showed some of that on Friday afternoon and Auston Kim took the wrong approach in trying to shoosh the crowd when she was on a roll. She would win more applause by playing to them.

The Ryder Cup may garner more TV views and bigger crowds, but I doubt it could match the good time vibe of this Solheim Cup. It will be interesting to see how Valhalla and the American crowds compare in two years’ time.