Team Europe secured a narrow 15-13 victory over the United States in the 2026 Solheim Cup in the Netherlands, a result that was influenced by a pre-emptive celebration from the American side.
On Saturday night, U.S. Captain Angela Stanford reportedly brought a case of Heineken beer onto the team bus to celebrate what was perceived as a late surge by Jennifer Kupcho. Kupcho had made nearly 120 feet of putts over the final two holes at Bernardus, and in a moment of enthusiasm, yelled "Vamos!" in the direction of her European opponent, Carlota Ciganda.
However, the momentum shifted decisively on Sunday during the singles matches. The overall match was tied at 8 points heading into the final round, but Team Europe rallied to win seven points in the singles session. The decisive point was clinched by Ciganda, who defeated Kupcho 4 and 2.
"I was really happy to see that I was playing against Kupcho," Ciganda stated. "She’s a fighter, I’m a fighter, and I told her, ‘Look, great playing.’ I mean, even yesterday what she did was amazing on 17 and 18. But today I knew she had no chance. I was like, I want to kill you. I love beating the Americans."
Following their victory, the European team celebrated on their bus with drinks, in contrast to the American team's earlier festivities. "Solheim Cup is to be celebrated on a Sunday, not a Saturday," said Europe assistant captain Mel Reid. "We’re just happy that we’re the ones now to take two crates of beer on the bus."
Reid also commented on the team's unity, noting, "We always say that our gift is being a unit in Europe, and there have been at times, the last couple of Solheim Cups where that has started to shift... Well, this is a shift."
The early celebration by the U.S. team, captured on social media, highlighted a moment of premature confidence that ultimately did not translate into a Cup victory.