Not only did Carlota Ciganda hole the crucial putt late on Sunday in her own backyard, but the Spanish warrior also scored the most points in the 2023 Solheim Cup.
Team Europe retained the marvellous crystal trophy courtesy of a thrilling 14-14 tie at Finca Cortesin in which several players from both teams produced highly-memorable performances.
Ciganda soared to maximum points from her four outings, while only three other players out of the total 24 also managed to avoid defeat. Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh showed her resilience by chiselling out two half points from her pair of trips onto the course for Team Europe.
Fittingly, the unbeaten quartet was also made up of two Americans. On the red side of the match, the imperious Megan Khang went so close to equalling Ciganda’s record but was forced to settle for a half in the Friday fourballs - leaving her hanging on 3.5 points from a possible four. And Khang's teammate Cheyenne Knight battled back from a troubling situation to steal a share of the spoils with Dryburgh on Sunday and maintain her own clean sheet.
Another notable display came from one of eight players to land on the end of Team USA’s first-session gut punch, Maja Stark. The Swede responded with aplomb to take 2.5 points from a possible three thereafter. Meanwhile, Lexi Thompson navigated her way through a controversy-filled week having won all but her Friday fourball fixture.
While there was plenty to smile about for most, especially those of a blue persuasion, it was a disappointing weekend for a handful of stars on both sides. Europe’s most recent Major champion, Celine Boutier, came up empty from three matches - the only player to do so - while vice-captain Anna Nordqvist secured just one point from four outings. English hopes, Charley Hull and Georgia Hall would have hoped for better too, bagging just one and 1.5 points from three and four appearances, respectively.
The competitiveness of the contest was most evident in the US team’s scoring, as five members finished with lower than a 50 per cent strike rate. Andrea Lee, Ally Ewing, Lilia Vu, Rose Zhang and Jennifer Kupcho went at under .500 for the week.
Below we have the full point-scoring list for both teams, along with the number of matches they played in brackets.
Carlota Ciganda of Team Europe celebrates with the Solheim Cup
TEAM EUROPE SOLHEIM CUP POINTS LIST
- Carlota Ciganda: 4 (4)
- Leona Maguire: 3 (5)
- Linn Grant: 3 (5)
- Maja Stark: 2.5 (4)
- Emily Pedersen: 2.5 (5)
- Madelene Sagstrom: 1.5 (3)
- Georgia Hall: 1.5 (4)
- Caroline Hedwall: 1 (2)
- Gemma Dryburgh: 1 (2)
- Charley Hull: 1 (3)
- Anna Nordqvist: 1 (4)
- Celine Boutier: 0 (3)
TEAM USA SOLHEIM CUP POINTS LIST
- Megan Khang: 3.5 (4)
- Lexi Thompson: 3 (4)
- Cheyenne Knight: 2.5 (3)
- Allisen Corpuz: 2.5 (4)
- Angel Yin: 2 (3)
- Danielle Kang: 2 (4)
- Nelly Korda: 2 (4)
- Andrea Lee: 1.5 (4)
- Ally Ewing: 1 (4)
- Lilia Vu: 1 (4)
- Rose Zhang: 0.5 (3)
- Jennifer Kupcho: 0.5 (3)
"I couldn't be more proud."An emotional @suzannpettersen speaks after @SolheimCupEuro clinched keeping the cup 🏆#SolheimCup2023 pic.twitter.com/z9cAgvsYpaSeptember 24, 2023
How Solheim Cup captains chose different strategies
There was plenty of talk before the event began regarding the physical toll Finca Cortesin would take on both players and caddies.
Team USA's captain, Stacy Lewis, said she did not "see anyone playing all five sessions" in Andalucia due to the course's physically-taxing layout - and that is how her team operated, with all 12 American stars competing either three or four times between Friday and Sunday in a bid to conserve energy.
Meanwhile, Europe opted to send Gemma Dryburgh and Caroline Hedwall out just twice as Leona Maguire, Linn Grant, and Emily Pedersen bucked Lewis' view to feature in every session and feed the hot hand at the potential cost of leaving the tank empty.
But with the final score ending 14-14, both captains proved there is no wrong answer when aiming for victory.
-
RBC Heritage Prize Money Payout 2025Scottie Scheffler defends his title at Harbour Town in the latest of the PGA Tour’s signature events
-
The Last Time Rory McIlroy Won A Major (Prior To The 2025 Masters)....We wind the clock back to the year 2014, when Rory McIlroy was the heir-apparent to Tiger Woods
-
Callaway REVA Rise: New Women's Clubs Unleashed!Callaway has released REVA Rise, the latest evolution of the Reva line of clubs designed specifically for women
-
Carla Bernat Escuder Narrowly Beats Asterisk Talley To Augusta National Women's Amateur TitleCarla Bernat Escuder became the first Spaniard to win the Augusta National Women's Amateur
-
Augusta National Women's Amateur Final Round Tee Times 2025Defending champion Lottie Woad and USA's Kiara Romero will start as co-leaders in the final group of the Augusta National Women's Amateur on Saturday
-
Defending Champion Lottie Woad In Prime Position For ANWA Title Defence As Several Big Names Miss The CutHeading into the final round at Augusta National Golf Club, England's Lottie Woad co-leads the field 12 months on from her dramatic comeback victory
-
Augusta National Women’s Amateur Winners: Where Are They Now?The Augusta National Women's Amateur was first played in 2019 and, since then, a number of the tournament's winners have gone on to forge superb careers
-
Augusta National Women's Amateur 2025 Tee Times - Round OneLottie Woad returns to defend her Augusta National Women's Amateur title, with the Amateur World No.1 getting her first round underway alongside Amateur World No.2 Jasmine Koo
-
Rianne Malixi Withdraws From Augusta National Women's Amateur With Back InjuryRianne Malixi had been among the favorites going into the Augusta National Women's Amateur, but the US Women’s Amateur champion has been forced to withdraw due to injury
-
How To Watch Augusta National Women’s Amateur: Live Streams, TV Channels, ScheduleThis year will be the sixth running of the event, with 23 nationalities competing and with the final round played around Augusta National's iconic course.
