The European squad seized the upper hand at Bernardus Golf on Saturday morning, capturing three out of four points during the alternate-shot contest. Following an initial day of play that ended in a total stalemate across both segments—a rarity matched only once before in the event’s history—the home team broke the tie. Debutantes Mimi Rhodes and Nastasia Nadaud preserved their unblemished record by handily defeating Auston Kim and Andrea Lee 4&3. Additionally, Leona Maguire combined with Esther Henseleit to secure a decisive victory on the eighteenth green, guaranteeing a successful morning session for the hosts.
America’s lone highlight during the round came via a commanding performance from Alison Lee and Lauren Coughlin. The pair dismantled Anna Nordqvist’s featured duo of Charley Hull and Lottie Woad with a 6&5 routing, matching the record for the most lopsided foursomes result in tournament archives. This emphatic outcome marked Lee’s third consecutive match triumph across as many outings this week. However, that solitary point was not enough to prevent the overall momentum from shifting toward the European squad.
Captain Nordqvist’s choice to launch the session with an all-Swedish tandem of Maja Stark and Linn Grant paid immediate dividends. After striking first on the opening hole and exchanging birdies on the second, the pair rebounded from losing the third hole by taking the fourth. They extended their advantage with a birdie on the seventh before Stark delivered a stunning eagle chip from just off the fringe at the drivable eighth. A routine par at the ninth sealed a three-hole surge, allowing the Swedish duo to construct a comfortable four-hole cushion at the midpoint.
Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz, who previously possessed an unblemished 5-0 record when paired in foursomes, mounted a fierce fightback by winning the tenth and eleventh holes consecutively to trim the deficit in half. Nevertheless, Stark halted the American rally on the sixteenth green by sinking an eight-foot birdie putt to lock up a 3&2 victory. “It’s the best feeling ever,” Stark said about the win. “It felt like we put up some really decent golf both today and yesterday – it’s hard to beat
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