Ciganda gets quick revenge on Kupcho at Solheim Cup: 'I knew she had no chance'

DEN BOSCH, Netherlands (AP) — Revenge came quickly for Carlota Ciganda at the Solheim Cup.

Team Europe’s Spanish star was hurting after a double sucker-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 four-balls 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.”

See AP’s full golf coverage here

Carlota Ciganda of Europe reacts as she walks onto the 16th green during the final day of the Solheim Cup in Den Bosch, Netherlands, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Carlota Ciganda of Europe embraces her caddie on the 16th green after beating Jennifer Kupcho of the United States in a singles match during the final day of the Solheim Cup in Den Bosch, Netherlands, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Carlota Ciganda of Europe holds the trophy as she celebrates with teammates after they won the Solheim Cup in Den Bosch, Netherlands, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Carlota Ciganda of Europe, right, greets Jennifer Kupcho of the United States on the 16th green after winning their singles match during the final day of the Solheim Cup in Den Bosch, Netherlands, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Carlota Ciganda of Europe, right, greets Jennifer Kupcho of the United States on the 16th green after winning their singles match during the final day of the Solheim Cup in Den Bosch, Netherlands, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) — A Republican congressman from Wisconsin said he had to swim to safety after a plane he was traveling in made an emergency landing in a lake late Saturday.

U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany says he was returning from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner when the light aircraft lost power as it approached Wausau Downtown Airport. The pilot made an emergency landing in Lake Wausau. They both ended up in the water and swam to safety.

"After landing, we called 911. As the plane began to submerge, we exited the aircraft and swam to a shallow area, where we waited until emergency responders reached us by boat," he wrote on X.

The Marathon County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that the emergency landing happened just before 9 p.m. Saturday. Tiffany and the pilot, Leonard Boltz, got out of the plane and called 911. They were rescued by emergency responders in a fire department airboat just after 9 p.m.

Both men were taken to a nearby hospital, where they were treated for minor injuries and released. Tiffany suffered a cut above his right eye that required stitches, his campaign said in an emailed statement.

A no-wake buoy was placed near the plane, which remained in the lake, and boaters were being asked to avoid the area until the plane can be removed, the sheriff's office said. A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said the agency would investigate the incident. A National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson said that agency is waiting for the FAA to assess the plane as to whether the damage was substantial enough for it to get involved.

Tiffany is running for governor on the Republican ticket in Wisconsin and has been endorsed by President Donald Trump.

David Crowley, the Democratic candidate, wished Tiffany a “quick recovery” in a post on X and lauded the “heroism of the pilot.”

The plane Tiffany was traveling in was a single-engine, four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft.

FILE - Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., speaks at the Wisconsin Air National Guard facility at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, July 8, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool, File)