Europeans aiming to get on their bike in bid for Solheim Cup success

The Ryder Cup is in European hands for at least another year after back-to-back wins for Luke Donald as captain while the Walker Cup is in Great Britain & Ireland possession for the next two years following last weekend’s sensational win for a side skippered by Dean Robertson at Lahinch.

The Curtis Cup was regained by the Americans earlier this year after being won by Catriona Matthew’s team for the first time in four contests in 2024 at Sunningdale, and now the focus for the next three days will be on the Solheim Cup.

Matthew led two European teams to victory - both were tight affairs at Gleneagles in 2019 then Inverness Club in Toledo a couple of years later - before a 14-14 draw at Finca Cortesin in Spain, where Suzann Pettersen was at the helm, in 2023 kept the trophy in European hands.

A first US win since 2017 then followed at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club two years ago, with Angela Stanford having been handed the task of trying to retain the trophy against a home side being captained by Nordqvist.

The event’s 20th edition is being held at Bernardus Golf Club, which is located in Cromvoirt close to Den Bosch, with spectators - media, too - being encouraged to cycle to the venue due to there being no on-site car parking. “I think it's fun. It's awesome,” said Stanford of what is surely a first for an event of such enormity.

Seven years after being involved in the Junior Solheim Cup at Gleneagles - she was also on that winning GB&I Curtis Cup team two years ago - England’s Mimi Rhodes is among four European rookies this week, joining compatriot Lottie Woad, Spaniard Julia Lopez Ramirez and France’s Nastasia Nadaud in getting a first taste of the premier event in women’s team golf.

”It's nothing like I ever imagined. It's kind of like the Curtis Cup on steroids,” opined Rhodes and anyone who has attended either a Solheim Cup or Ryder Cup will know exactly what she means.

Nordqvist, of course, enjoyed the highlight of her career when winning the AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie in 2021. The 39-year-old recently retired as a player and now she is aiming to add what would be the icing on the cake to her story in golf.

“When I was put in this role, I basically had zero experience of being a leader of a team,” said Nordqvist, who is bidding to emulate compatriots Catrin Nilsmark and Liselotte Neumann by tasting victory as a Solheim Cup captain. “But I think that's what is cool, too. I don't think everything needs to be perfect. At the end of the day, I just need to be myself.”

Stanford, who is a first-time captain as well, has world No 1 Nelly Korda as her star player, with Lilia Vu, the 2023 AIG Women’s Open winner, on standby for Angel Yin in case she is forced to withdraw at the last minute.

“There are a couple different reasons why I think they're well suited for this week,” said Stanford of her side. “I think they're very mentally tough. They don't let things bother them. They let things kind of roll off their back if something doesn't go the way they planned and they seem really focused.”