Nordqvist Fires Back at Stanford Over Solheim Greens — SkimNews
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- Team Europe won the 2026 Solheim Cup 15-13 over Team USA at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands, with Sunday singles breaking an 8-8 tie after the opening two days.
- Angela Stanford implied the greens had been slowed to suit Europe, saying "Europeans always putt better" and that she "didn't get to know the superintendent as well as I should have," noting the greens were faster during a July visit.
- Anna Nordqvist rejected the implication, pointing to weather: "We're in Europe in September," and saying recent rain made conditions softer than expected rather than deliberately set up for Europe.
- Stanford publicly took responsibility, saying "it's my responsibility to get the team ready" and that she was frustrated with herself for not driving home the need to hit putts harder.
- Stanford also defended her team's Saturday celebration after Jennifer Kupcho sank two clutch putts to level the match at 8-8, saying she didn't want to "take away" the moment even though it took time for the US side to come off the high.
- The next Solheim Cup is scheduled for September 8-10, 2028 at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky.
Why it matters: The greens complaint adds a sour note to Europe's 15-13 win at Bernardus Golf, with Stanford publicly blaming herself for not pushing her US team to adapt their putting — a rare admission of preparation failure from a captain ahead of the 2028 rematch at Valhalla.
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