Anna Nordqvist gives blunt response to US captain's Solheim Cup greens complaint

European Solheim Cup captain Anna Nordqvist has rejected suggestions the greens at Bernardus Golf were prepared to give the home side an advantage.

Team Europe beat the United States 15-13 in the Netherlands to reclaim the Solheim Cup, but US captain Angela Stanford suggested her side had been caught out by slower-than-expected putting surfaces.

"I think we just didn't make enough putts," Stanford told reporters on Sunday evening in the immediate aftermath of defeat, adding that she had no regrets about how she led the red, white and blue. 

"And if you listen to everything I've ever said, Europeans always putt better. 

"I don't know why. I still don't know why. I mean, I have a good idea, but I'm not going to say it right now."

Stanford also joked that she had failed to build a strong enough relationship with the head greenkeeper. 

"Apparently, I didn't get to know the superintendent as well as I should have," she added.

Asked whether the US team had expected faster greens, Stanford said: "Yeah, for sure.

"Even when we showed up in July here, they were faster. And I don’t think it had anything to do with the rain either."

Nordqvist, however, was quick to dismiss the suggestion when asked about Stanford's point of view. 

"I mean, we're in Europe and in September. We know how the weather can be," the Swede said. 

The 39-year-old went on to praise the work of Bernardus' course staff, insisting there had been no attempt to manipulate conditions in Europe's favour.

"I know how hard Neil and the course staff worked," Nordqvist said. 

"I have never seen a golf club in Europe or in the world have such a large staff that he has.

"I'm not sure I believe a lot in setting up a way to fit Europe because these girls play the same golf courses week-in and week-out competing.”

Nordqvist explained that the course had played differently when both teams visited in July, largely because of the hot and dry conditions at the time.

"It was a very hot and dry summer, so the course played a little bit different then,” she said.

"We were just trying to make sure that the greens didn’t get too firm at the time because there were some holes, in the wind, it was hard to hole.

“So, if anything, it was just really trying to manage firmness. 

"They were probably just playing a little bit softer than we all thought coming here.

"But that's obviously the weather, we can't control that."

Europe won the 2026 edition of the Solheim Cup by two points. 

The score was 8-8 heading into Sunday's singles but Europe seized control on the final day by winning six of the first eight matches. 

Lottie Woad then delivered the decisive point, beating Auston Kim 2&1 to secure the Solheim Cup for Europe.

The victory marked Europe's third win in the last four editions of the contest, while the US have now failed to win an away Solheim Cup since 2015.

Stanford admitted afterwards that she was "kicking herself2 for not pushing her players to be more aggressive on the greens.

"It's my responsibility to get the team ready," the 48-year-old said.

"This is the one thing I am kicking myself is that I just didn’t keep pushing, you know, we got to figure out how to hit our putts a little bit harder, which is really difficult, like, to change the way you putt."

Stanford, a six-time Solheim Cup player, also claimed the US team's statistical preparation had been lacking compared to previous editions.

"In Spain, we had people giving us strokes gained in each match, even in practice," she said.

"And we didn’t have that this year."