SOLHEIM CUP

September 12, 2026

Angela Stanford

Bernardus

U.S. Team

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to the media center after the Saturday sessions of the 2026 Solheim Cup. I'm joined by Captain Angela Stanford.

Angela, I'll just open it up to you for comments on Saturday's matches.

ANGELA STANFORD: Yeah, well, here we are again. It's 8 O'clock. And so thanks, again, for hanging around. I know these days, they get really long. I think, you know, back when I was a player all I could think about was being a player, so thanks for hanging around, really appreciate it.

Matches today? I just can't get over how proud I am of this group. I came here knowing how much I truly love them and how much I truly love this team and know deep down they have these elements that make great teams, but we didn't see it. You know, I wasn't seeing it. They looked a little tight, and they looked -- you know, the practice rounds, they looked so free, and I think what just happened in the end right there is really great for tomorrow, which I think we need for sure.

THE MODERATOR: All right. We'll open it up now.

Q. You've been around a lot of these Solheim Cups and high-level golf tournaments. Is it especially momentous for your squad to do what they did against their top-10 pair in Charley and Lottie during the team sessions?

ANGELA STANFORD: Yeah, you know, I think that's -- I think it's -- anytime you go up against their best, you continue to play well and put points up, it's big. They just kind of keep showing up and they just kind of keep fighting, so, yes, to continue to take Charley and Lottie on the way they have was really good. I mean, it's been fun to watch.

Q. Have you ever seen anything like 17 and 18 today?

ANGELA STANFORD: I've never seen anything like that. The putt on 17, you're like, okay, it's golf. But, like, is she going to make that putt -- if you drop 10 balls back there, she may never even make that putt again. It's just one of those things. And in that environment, it just makes it so much special, so much more special.

And then we get to 18, and I knew what was happening. I knew after Lindy saw the putt, she would have to hit. So I knew what pressure was doing and then at the same time she just wanted a free run. Now, to make that putt on top of the 93-footer or whatever, you can't explain it. But in that setting, that is one of the coolest things I've ever been a part of.

Q. Anything else that you can think compares to that celebration?

ANGELA STANFORD: Yeah, I mean, now we're going to have 2015 vibes in Germany. That's what that felt like in Germany on the Sunday. Like, all of a sudden they now believe that they can get it done. I think they did. But again, we were kind of playing catchup. Like, we were just kind of -- and I kept saying, you know, Let's stick around, Let's stick around, Let's stick around. And that was huge. I mean, you go in -- you know, Justin Ray told me that no American team had ever been up in Europe after two days. So it's, like, this is hard. It's hard to do it when you're trying to win. And I'm like, yeah, I know. So to be tied going into singles? I'm really excited.

Q. Jennifer was in here a moment ago. She said that the team has been working particularly hard to dig deep to put themselves in this position, especially in Europe. What sort of has been the conversations? Can you share some thoughts on how they were able to do that and try to get to that next gear?

ANGELA STANFORD: I mean, I think it's stupid. One, I think we're really prepared. Now we had to kind of play free, and I'm not sure we were playing really free. I think we will now. But a similar effect after the morning session, really. We had a group team chat going, and I told them, You got to remember, you got to look inward. You can't look out. Like, it's going to be hard. It's perfect weather, this is the most people we've had out here all week, it's going to get loud. Let's try to make it as quiet as we possibly can. But you can't -- you get rattled if you start looking at everything around you. So let's look at our teammates, let's look inwards, and let's try to keep going. We're going to just keep trying, keep chipping away, and then we did it.

Q. We heard other captains talk in the past about the U.S. tenacity, a little bit tighter. Why is that?

ANGELA STANFORD: I think a lot of it is expectation. I think people -- I think from top to bottom we have 12 of the best players in the world. So I think people just expect you to produce results, and sometimes that makes you play tight.

Q. The camera kept showing you running in slow motion behind these guys. What were you feeling in that moment?

ANGELA STANFORD: Was I running behind Anna?

Q. Yeah. You were, like, running away.

ANGELA STANFORD: Oh, I didn't know you saw her. I never saw her. So I mean, that's a problem because -- I don't know. I think because it's Kupcho and the history there is -- I always say Kupcho and I are a lot alike. And, you know, 2021, I was there as an assistant for her, and I -- you know, we've grown together in this. And I knew she had a hard matchup today, and I was asking something of her and Rose that was more than I was asking of anybody else. I mean, there were two golf balls and they're the farthest apart.

So now the results, people are probably going to say, Well, you shouldn't have put them together. Well, they still played really well. But I think she was doing something for me, and Rose did too, that was really hard. So I wanted -- you know, I wanted somebody to root for her.

So the third time that Kupcho and, you know, I think something -- I just told the assistants, Something's -- something has happened to her. Like, this will change her. I think she's always been very confident, but she doesn't -- I'm not sure she fully believes in herself at times. So I think something flipped.

Q. Why do you think that is?

ANGELA STANFORD: Because you can't do something like that and every girl on the golf course can truly help yourself any more when you make two of the greatest putts in Solheim Cup history back to back, for us. I mean, I'm so happy for her because I know it's been tough this week, mostly because I asked her to try and do something -- you know, it's just golf and it's really hard.

Q. Jennifer really took it to heart when you talked about fighting the crowd. I don't know where you were, if you saw it, or when you heard about it when she kind of shushed the crowd. She made her putt and did that. Is that a concern sometimes in environment like this to do that, especially when they were down in the match?

ANGELA STANFORD: No, I think that there are about -- the thing about this week so far is the fans have been great. It seems to be great fans and they're seeing our players -- look, we're in Europe. That's what they do. And I haven't told our players anything except, again, to each other, don't pay any attention to what's going on outside the ropes. And it's, they really enjoy it. It's loud. I mean, there was one point on the first tee today it was so loud, it was the loudest I think I ever heard on the first tee. I mean, we had some great Solheim Cups and I was like, Man, they're bringing it. So I have respect for that, that the fans are showing up and they're -- you know, they're supporting their team. So I think it's okay. They're having fun and, you know, it's all even now, so we had how many people out there today? It felt like 50,000 people. So I'm okay. It's in fun and, you know, the Europeans, you know, they hear it when we're over in America. So it's fun.

Q. The U.S. has been so good on Sundays, and you've been a part of so many of those Sunday singles matches, but what's the game plan? What is it about that that you guys can do to get yourselves off on the right foot?

ANGELA STANFORD: Yeah, I think obviously this -- with everybody, you know, they're all fired up now. And it's that energy that we've needed. Honestly, I kind of felt we were kind of flat this morning. You know, it's been a long week. So this is the jolt we needed to give get us going tomorrow. I will say, I was a little nervous because if we would have walked away 7-9, I would have been pretty nervous tonight. And I'm still nervous, but 8-8 is different from 7-9.

Q. Yesterday, you mentioned sort of hanging in there and sticking with the Europeans. Is that response that Justin told you about, the 8-8 going into singles, that was kind of like the best position the Americans have had in the past?

ANGELA STANFORD: Yeah, I mean, honestly, if you would have told me yesterday I would be sitting here and we would be 8-8, I would have said, Okay, I'll take it. So, yeah, I think we're in a really good spot. Now, my question, then, is, What do you think it did for them? I think they're going to come out with a lot of energy tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Angela, any last comments before we close out?

ANGELA STANFORD: I mean, I've been extremely impressed with Yealimi. I tell you -- look, my father back in Texas does not really use his cell phone, and I can never get him to text. And he sent me a text last night that said, Yealimi Noh can play golf. (Laughing). And I was like, Yeah, Dad, I know. So it was pretty cool because my dad, he never really comments on anything like that, and I didn't even know he knew who Yealimi Noh was because he just -- you know, he watches women's golf less because I'm not playing now. But I just thought that was really cool. One, that my dad is really truly watching at home, and two, he just -- that was just the funniest thing in the world to me. So, yeah, very, very happy for her being her second Solheim Cup and she just -- she's done really well and I'm really happy for her. So, yeah. But from what I understand, is there pizza and Old Fashions in the back? Apparently. Oh, I see one right there. So I'm about to go get a piece of pizza, for sure, and the bourbon. You know, not that I can talk about that, but, yeah. So thank y'all again. Really appreciate it. It seems like it's been a fun week so far, but I know we have one more day. I hope I'm this happy sitting here tomorrow night. So thank y'all.