With a birdie on the 18th hole, Lilia Vu clinched the Solheim Cup for Team USA. In the end, the Americans edged Europe by three points, 15.5 to 12.5, to claim its first Solheim Cup victory since 2017.
Here are six highlights and nuggets that stood out.
1. EVENLY MATCHED: The last four Solheim Cups have been decided by scores of 14.5 to 13.5 (EUR 2019), 15-13 (EUR 2021), 14-14 (EUR 2023) and 15.5 to 12.5 for the U.S. Team this year. That means that the last four Solheim Cups combined have been decided by just six points. A game of inches.
2. ZHANG & KHANG: Rose Zhang (4-0-0) and Megan Khang (3-0-0) each won all their matches. It marks just the second time that a pair of Americans went 3-0-0 or better in one Solheim Cup. In 1994, both Dottie Pepper and Brandie Burton finished 3-0-0. Zhang is the eighth different player and third different American in Solheim Cup history to finish 4-0-0 or better. This is the second consecutive Solheim Cup that Khang has gone undefeated.
3. WHOA NELLY: Nelly Korda was in the first group out in all four sessions this year, becoming the first player to play in the first match of four different sessions in one Solheim Cup. Korda lost, 6&4, to Charley Hull in her Sunday singles match, her first loss of the week.
4. CHARLEY & EMILY STRONG: Charley Hull’s 6-and-4 victory is her largest victory in her Solheim Cup career; her next closest was a 5-and-4 victory over Creamer in 2013. Hull (3-2-0) and Emily Pedersen (2-3-0) were the only players who participated in all five sessions this week. It was the second time that Hull has played in five sessions during a Solheim Cup, having done so in 2015 in Germany (going 4-1-0). It was also the second such time for Pedersen, who participated in all five sessions last year in Spain (going 2-2-1).
5. WHERE’S LEONA?: Leona Maguire has previously played in 10-straight matches; she played in five sessions in both the 2021 and 2023 competitions. This year, Maguire played in just two matches.
6. ROOKIE ROCKS: Lauren Coughlin finished this Solheim Cup with a record of 3-0-1, earning 3.5 points. It ties the record for most points earned by a Solheim Cup rookie, joining Paula Creamer (2005, 3-1-1), Michelle Wie West (2009, 3-0-1) and N. Korda (2019, 3-0-1).
