United States wins back the Solheim Cup from Team Europe with Lilia Vu rolling in the decisive putt

For the first time since 2017, the United States has regained the Solheim Cup, after a dramatic final period in which Team Europe defeated Team America in the end.

This ends a seven-year drought for the Americans. The US won the trophy 14.5-11.5, with two teams still in the field at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia. They eventually won 15.5-12.5.

Europe won early in the day by a large margin, with England’s Charley Hull and Georgia Hall winning 6&4 and 4&3 respectively.

The United States did the same, with Megan Khang winning 6-5, Allisen Corpuz 4-3 and Rose Zhang 6-4.

The decisive group consisted of Albane Valenzuela and Lilia Vu. Valenzuela had a lead going into the final hole, but her approach on the 18th hole backfired and her match-winning putt fell just short.

With 104 yards to the hole, Lilia Vu’s second shot came to rest just inches from the cup. She tapped in for birdie to cut the match in half and officially earn the 14.5 points needed to reclaim the Solheim Cup.

Lilia Vu made the decisive putt to halve her match on the 18th hole

Europe fell behind 6-2 on the first day and trailed 10-6 going into singles. Captain Suzann Pettersen said her team needed a “miracle,” and while that never seemed likely, the Europeans kept things interesting, denying the Americans the deciding point on the 18th hole in three straight matches.

The U.S. improved its overall record to 11-7-1 in the competition that began in 1990 with financial backing from Ping golf club manufacturer Karsten Solheim and his wife Louise.

The victory was a testament to the steadfast, data-driven approach of U.S. captain Stacy Lewis, who made “Unfinished Business” her team’s motto this year after Europe won last year’s Cup with a 14-14 draw in Spain.

During a week of perfect weather at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, a sprawling lakeside venue about 40 miles west of Washington, D.C., that has hosted four Presidents Cups, the Americans slightly outpaced the Europeans in all phases.

Lewis got excellent performances from number one Nelly Korda, 21-year-old Zhang, 31-year-old debutant Lauren Coughlin and experienced sparkplug Khang.

Zhang, the best putter on both teams this week, passed Carlota Ciganda 6-4 to become the first player in Solheim history to go 4-0 or better and never reach the 17th hole. She won 28 holes and lost eight during the week.

“I just feel like the Solheim Cup has reignited my passion for the game,” Zhang said. “We’ve had so much fun, not just off the golf course, but on it. It’s just been an incredible ride.”

Zhang’s win put the 13th American point on the board, after which the US played for almost an hour without leading any of the final seven games.

U.S. captain Stacy Lewis watched her team take the Cup to an all-time high of 11-7-1

American Rose Zhang said playing in the Solheim Cup ‘reignited my passion for the game’

But the Europeans still had little room for error. Esther Henseleit had a chance to beat Andrea Lee on the 18th hole but left her birdie putt short, and Lee made a 4-footer for par to give the U.S. a half-point lead in the first tie match of the week.

That allowed Lexi Thompson to secure the winning point in her final Solheim Cup as a player, but she was thwarted by Celine Boutier, who hit her six-foot approach shot on the par-4 18th hole for birdie and a 1-up victory.

Coughlin, playing in her home state, came up short on a birdie putt to win the cup, and Maja Stark made a par from about 12 feet to even the match and keep European hopes alive.

Then it came down to Vu, the No. 2 women’s world number one, who hit a pure drive down the middle of the 406-yard 18th to set up her short approach shot that landed wide of the hole. Vu had a quiet first two days, going 1-2 in team matches.

Charley Hull defeated Korda in a flashy leadoff match by making three straight birdies on the back nine holes. Korda dominated the series of holes and was 3-0 in team matches, building a five-stroke lead.

She beat Korda with an approach shot on the par-5 14th hole, the ball racing over a ridge, slowing to a near stop at the edge of the green and dropping down a slope to two feet for a conceded eagle and a 6-and-4 victory.

“I know I have what it takes to play Nelly,” Hull said.

That put Europe at 10-7, but the difference was bigger than it seemed.

Charley Hull defeated Nelly Korda in a strong early match for Team Europe

But Europe were unable to pull off the monumental comeback expected of them to retain the cup

A few minutes later, Khang finished off an exhausted Emily Pedersen with 6 and 5. Khang went 3-0 this week when she wasn’t cheering on the crowd and her teammates, while Pedersen played every session and went 2-3.

“I really enjoyed getting the audience involved. My voice can definitely be a victim of that,” Khang said. “But I would do it a million times.”

Lewis and Pettersen repeated their captaincy roles with the cup held back-to-back for the first time since 2002-03. The move removed the Solheim Cup from the Ryder Cup after a pandemic-related postponement of the men’s team competition.

The next task for the Americans is to win on European soil for the first time since 2015 in Germany. The Netherlands will host the 2026 edition.