DEN BOSCH, Netherlands — Revenge came quickly for Carlota Ciganda at the Solheim Cup.
Team Europe’s Spanish star was hurting after a double gut-punch on Saturday night by feisty U.S. player Jennifer Kupcho, who poured in 120 feet worth of putts on Nos. 17 and 18 to overturn her fourballs match against Ciganda and give the Americans renewed hope of victory.
Later that evening, Ciganda discovered who she’d be meeting in the singles on Sunday.
“I was really happy,” Ciganda said, “to see I was playing against Kupcho.”
The next-day response was clinical and emphatic: Ciganda birdied four of the first five holes to go 4 up, before completing a 4-and-2 win over Kupcho that just so happened to clinch the point that officially won back the cup for the Europeans.
“She’s a fighter, I’m a fighter, and I told her, ‘Look, great playing,’” Ciganda said. “Yesterday, what she did was amazing on Nos. 17 and 18.
“But today I knew she had no chance. I was like, I want to kill you.”
Ciganda was at the center of most of the big moments at Bernardus Golf this week.
On Friday, an out-of-nowhere par on No. 18 snatched a half-point in fading light in the final four-balls match of Day 1 to draw Europe level at 4-4.
On Saturday, she was on the end of that outrageous finish by Kupcho, which turned a potential 9-7 lead for the Europeans into an 8-8 tie.
On Sunday, she got the point that officially took Team Europe past the winning target of 14 1/2 points — three years after scoring the decisive point in her native Spain to retain the Solheim Cup.
“I mean, I love this week,” she said. “I love playing for the team, for my teammates, for everyone here. Yeah, I just don’t know what happened, but I just love it. I mean, I love beating the Americans.”
“Playing for something bigger than yourself,” she added, “I guess my mind gets to be very focused and I love this week. This is why I play golf.”