The blame game at the Solheim Cup

Golf Digest

For U.S. golf, this Monday brings the worst kind of hangover: It's another team match-play event on European soil, and another loss for the Americans. Despite the fact that it's expected at this point, it somehow manages to get worse every time for a team that can't seem to string together the wins it needs on the road. Is it bad luck? Player failure? Institutional failure?

If you're a fan of these American teams, the thing you want more than anything else in the aftermath of the latest big loss is some sense of accountability. Not only "what went wrong?" but "how can we prevent this in the future?" Without a plan, is there a realistic hope of success down the road?

Unfortunately, U.S. captain Angela Stanford took a different tone in her press conference. For one thing, she seemed to throw her analytics people under the bus, saying that they weren't feeding her the strokes-gained stats she needed (some said this was a barb intended to illustrate diminished funds, but if so, it didn't come across that way). Next, attempting to explain Europe's superior play, she said, "Apparently, I didn't get to know the superintendent as well as I should have." That was an even worse look; it's common practice for the home team to control course setup, and if Stanford wasn't ready for that, she has only herself to blame.

It's a rough look in the wake of another loss in Europe, and Joel Beall took an incisive look at the fallout in a tremendous day-after piece you can read below. "Defeat presents a lesson for future victory, provided the loser is humble enough to receive it," he writes. So why won't the U.S. ever learn?

American team golf keeps losing twice

Defeat presents a lesson for future victory, provided the loser is humble enough to receive it. Unfortunately for American golf leadership, that gift keeps being refused,

By Joel Beall

What You Need to Know

Ryan Herrington

American golf fans no doubt were disappointed with the outcomes of the Walker Cup or the Solheim Cup the past two weekends. But they had to appreciate the drama that both matches provided. Each was played away from the shadow of the PGA Tour, giving the event golf's center stage to showcase the suspense and theater that hard core followers have witnessed for years. That’s what makes it so disappointing to realize that in 2028, the Walker Cup at Bandon Dunes and the Solheim Cup at Valhalla will be played on the same weekend (Sept. 8-10). Seriously?!? Unfortunately. The one saving grace is that Bandon is on the West Coast, allowing for live coverage in prime time out east. Even so, it’s a disservice to everybody that the USGA and LPGA couldn’t have somehow coordinated their dates to avoid the overlap.

Ryan Herrington

To the victor goes the spoils. But the spoils that Team Europe shared Sunday night on the team bus after claiming the 20th Solheim Cup were delivered with some remarkable snark. A day after a viral video of U.S. captain Angela Stanford handing out celebratory drinks to her team on Saturday night, European Solheim Cup legend Laura Davies handed out libations to her side, with the players adding this impressive retort. Take a listen!

“They drink on Saturday. We drink on Sunday.” Quite the chef’s kiss.

Keely Levins

Lottie Woad made the putt that secured the Solheim Cup for Europe. The 22-year-old Englishwoman’s short par putt ended her match against Auston Kim to win 2 and 1, getting Europe to 14 points. With Carlota Ciganda 3 up on Jennifer Kupcho with three to play, Europe was guaranteed to earn the half point it needed to win the Cup. Woad took her time over the putt, even though she didn’t know that if she made it, Europe would win. “I didn't know it was to win. I thought Carlota's match was for it to win,” Woad said afterward.

It was the first full point Woad scored at the 2026 Solheim Cup. “I was pretty disappointed,” Woad said, who’s ranked No. 7 in the world. “Felt like I was playing good golf and not getting the points and felt like I was kind of letting everyone down.” She finished the week 1-3-1. But after that clinching point, she’s not feeling like she let anyone down.