Linn Grant Answers Four Solheim Cup Losses With Four Wins

Linn Grant played four matches at the 2024 Solheim Cup and lost all four. Captain Anna Nordqvist sent her out four times at Bernardus Golf this past week. Grant won every match.

Her 4-0-0 record led Europe in a 15-13 victory over the United States and made her the only European player to finish perfect. The LPGA identified another first: No player in Solheim Cup history had produced at least four points immediately after a zero-point appearance.

Four losses followed by four wins is the headline. The matches underneath it mattered more. Grant won in alternate shot twice, in four-ball and then by herself in singles, with none of the four matches reaching the 18th tee.

Stark and Grant Needed Little Maintenance

Nordqvist paired Grant with fellow Swede Maja Stark for all three team matches. They opened Friday with a 3-and-2 foursomes win over Rose Zhang and Jennifer Kupcho, giving Europe its first point after the Americans had completed the first two matches.

Grant and Stark arrived at Bernardus with plenty of golf behind them. The close friends had already won the Sunningdale Foursomes together, so alternate shot was familiar territory. Stark described their partnership Saturday in much simpler terms.

“You don’t have to baby each other,” Stark said. “You just kind of keep playing your own game.”

Stark’s description gets team golf right. A partner can help by needing less conversation after a miss, not more. Familiar behavior shortens the recovery time and lets the other player prepare for the next shot.

Saturday morning put Stark and Grant opposite Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz, who had become the first Solheim Cup pairing to win their first five foursomes matches together a day earlier. The Swedes beat them, 3 and 2, after taking the lead for good at the fourth hole. Stark added a hole-out eagle as the pairing played bogey-free alternate shot.

Nordqvist kept the partnership intact for the afternoon four-ball session. Megan Khang and Lauren Coughlin moved 1 up at the fourth and held the advantage until No. 11. Grant and Stark took control from there and won, 2 and 1. Grant said afterward that they had finally begun playing the way they wanted on the back nine.

Four Matches, No 18th Hole

Sunday removed the familiar partner and gave Grant Angel Yin in the third singles match. Yin birdied the par-5 second to take the early lead. Grant answered and finished the match, 4 and 3, for her first Solheim Cup singles victory.

That point pushed Europe to 10-8 and became part of the early blue surge that the Americans could not fully answer. Europe won seven of the 12 singles points. Lottie Woad’s 2-and-1 victory later guaranteed the 14 1/2 points required to reclaim the Cup, and Carlota Ciganda completed the match that placed Europe’s 15th point on the scoreboard.

Grant’s four results share a detail that deserves more notice than the perfect record. She and Stark closed their first two matches on No. 16, finished the four-ball win on No. 17, and Grant ended singles on No. 15. The 18th hole never had to rescue them.

Grant and Stark beat Zhang and Kupcho on Friday, then defeated Korda and Corpuz in Saturday foursomes. Their third point came against Khang and Coughlin that afternoon. Grant completed the 4-0 week by beating Yin, 4 and 3, in singles. None of the four matches reached No. 18.

Nordqvist Kept Sending Grant Out

Grant’s 0-4 mark from Virginia was still beside her name when Nordqvist made Friday’s lineup. She put Grant with Stark in the third match and returned to the pairing twice Saturday. Sunday brought the third singles position. Grant received four assignments, the same number she had two years earlier.

By the end of Saturday, Nordqvist had received three points without breaking apart the pairing she trusted. Sunday then showed that Grant’s week was not dependent on Stark. She took the third singles position, absorbed Yin’s early birdie and delivered Europe’s second completed win of the session.

Grant’s 2024 record remains 0-4-0. Her 2026 line now sits beside it at 4-0-0. Anyone tempted to define a player by three days of match play has to read both.

PGA of America Golf Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer who serves as Athlon Sports Senior Golf Writer. Read his recent “The Starter” on RG.org, where he is their Lead Golf Writer. To stay updated on all of his latest work, sign up for his newsletter or visit his MuckRack Profile.

Related: Europe Won the Solheim Cup at the Top of Sunday’s Board

Related: Bernardus Was Rerouted to Make the Solheim Cup Turn Late

Related: The Solheim Cup Should Not Have to Share Golf’s Spotlight

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Sep 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the Golf section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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