SOLHEIM CUP

September 11, 2026

Anna Nordqvist

Bernardus

Team Europe

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Hello, everyone. We're joined by European Solheim Cup captain, Anna Nordqvist.

Anna, how would you assess the first day of action here at Bernardus?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, I mean, I think it's been an amazing day. It's been incredible golf from both the U.S. and Europe. I feel like we have seen four seasons out there today. Yeah, what a way to finish with Carlota making that putt on 18 and going with a lot of momentum into tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: Just talk us through that first tee. You had your experience of having your family out there this morning. Just what was that like for you?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, so obviously, it means a lot that my family's here and nieces and nephews. So the last couple months I've been working with Ping Europe on creating the 17 outfits for my nieces and nephews, so that's what they were wearing today. I know it's very cold and they have shorts and T-shirts, but they did everything to support me. So it was a very special moment.

Like I talked about in the opening ceremony speech, what makes this week special is that you get to share it with loved ones, and that's going to be, obviously, a memory that they're going to be able to treasure your forever.

THE MODERATOR: And as you just mentioned, Carlota's putt on the last, what was that like with the whole team walking down to 18 for that final match?

ANNA NORDQVIST: I mean, Carlota loves the Solheim Cup more than anything. She's so passionate, and all our conversation the last, you know, couple months she just can't wait to be there. Seeing her make the eagle putt on 16, you know, just to see her like bring out the best when it mattered the most, that's Carlota for you, and that's golf at its best.

THE MODERATOR: I'll open it up to the floor for questions.

Q. Did you set the lineup for the entire day this morning?

ANNA NORDQVIST: No, I mean, we have a game plan, and I mean, you have to kind of adjust. I think being a vice captain in the last couple Solheim Cups, we kind of had an idea of how we wanted to play things, but there's just so many things going on behind the scenes. I think I had five or ten minutes between kind of coming in from the morning matches to the afternoon. So you're trying to do everything on the run.

So we had a little bit of an idea, but I'm proud of the way how we played things, and we sat down after the matches today, and I think we have a really good game plan going into tomorrow.

Q. A thought process of, like, sitting the two winning teams from this morning and playing the two losing teams, what was the thought process behind that, and what are your thoughts about the outcome?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, I mean, I felt like the U.S. played really good in those two matches and sometimes foursome is a really hard format too. So you kind of have to trust the process and trust how the players are feeling. But I'm proud of the way we stuck to what we kind of thought throughout the day was the best way to put our team. I mean, it's another day tomorrow, there's another 36 holes tomorrow, so not every player's going to play five matches. So sometimes you got to sit out someone here and there, and for me, it was very important to play all 12 players today, and the way the pairings worked out, that's how I had to play it.

Q. Charley and Lottie were the first two top-10 players in the world to play two sessions in the same day ever at a Solheim Cup. Did you see that as sort of a dice roll, like it could either pay off or not, and what do you have to do tomorrow to get those two going a little bit more?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, I mean, like I said, foursome is a hard format, and I think the way this course sets up, I mean, there's quite a bit of difference who has the approach shots and iron shots. I think Lottie said that on hole 15, she really only had to hit, like, two or three shots in the last maybe two hours.

So foursome has always been the hardest format because it's really hard to get into pace and a rhythm. It was really cold this morning, the wind. So, yeah, like, it just takes a little bit of time, I feel like, to get in a rhythm.

But they were also playing world No. 1, Nelly Korda, and Corpuz, who we know is a very strong pairing and they play really good. So I think that's the beauty with match play, right? Like, you can play good and the other team just plays better. But they fought hard, and I'm proud that we put out that pairing, and I think it's a very strong pairing for us.

Q. Going into today, what gave you the confidence to put Mimi and Nastasia together?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Well, I think when -- you know, being out on tour and having spent time around these players, the rookies are really cool. Like, they're just so young and so fearless. So a lot of people probably go why? But I was like, well, why not? They have a great personalities, the they love match play. Mimi has a great match play record in Curtis Cup. Nastasia is young, but she's very aggressive. And their caddies are really good friends. It was just something about them really having good chemistry too. Sometimes you just got to trust the instinct.

Q. Was there anything about today that surprised you in your first day as captain?

ANNA NORDQVIST: I think the thing that surprised me the most is, obviously, how much the background team really does for you, anywhere from everyone in the background team in the team room helping us with all the arrangements. But really, I mean, we couldn't have done it today without all the helpers and the drivers we had because the logistics of getting everyone from the team room to the driving range, from the driving range to the first tee, in from matches, back to practice, I mean, it's just been non-stop all day.

It's 8:20 and the alarm clock is probably going to be set for 4:00 a.m. tomorrow morning again. So it's really long days and it's just non-stop all day. Their staff -- I mean, one caddie needed a battery on the second hole for his laser. The caddie vests were ripping on the side. It's just stuff that you don't expect to happen. But I think that's the beauty of it too because if you work as a team you really are ready for anything. And if you have a good laugh along the way, I think that adrenaline and just being able to do it together kind of carries you through the day. It's already been a real long week coming into Friday. It's very long days for the players, but, you know, we all love it. And all my helpers were just very, when I asked them, like they couldn't wait to be here. I think that's what I'm going to look back at the most, kind of the journey and everyone you have around you making it happen and making it easier for the players.

Q. You gave a very vivid description of all the detail and things that are going on this week. I saw you on 15 this morning and thought you actually looked quite relaxed. I was quite wowed about that. Is that a sign that in actual fact, once you're out on the course, that's the first time when you have actually not got loads of things to do, or was it slightly deceptive and I'm not very good at reading body language?

ANNA NORDQVIST: I feel like all day I've been quite relaxed. I just try to be myself. It's hard being on the sideline. I always felt like it was harder today being on the sideline than actually playing myself. So it's like sometimes you just got to be like, you just got to trust the process, you got to trust the players. It's been amazing to watch them from a different perspective. Obviously in the last two years I've been playing with all these girls, but really taking it in, seeing it from the sideline, like, I'm really impressed. But, yeah, I actually felt really good all day. But I think it comes from being prepared and having everything else organized and things come up. Like we had a really good teamwork with everyone around so it made my job easier, because it was just go from one spot to another. And I know they needed to remind me to eat. I think yesterday I didn't have lunch until 4:10. And I had an idea Anne was going to teach me some Dutch during the day, because I think I had two or three sentences that I fully hadn't learned. So I think we sat down at like 4 o'clock to prepare like those sentences. So it's just non-stop. But it's a different challenge and I feel like days like this is going to make me grow as a person. But, yeah, I felt good out there today.