With two days left until the Solheim Cup, the European team was out practising holes 10-18 at Bernardus Golf, the Dutch course hosting this year's prestigious match against the USA.
Maja Stark and Linn Grant played together then. Will they do so again when the Solheim Cup begins with foursomes matches on Friday morning?
"I can't reveal too much, but I think it's great that we have two very talented Swedes on the team," says captain Anna Nordqvist cryptically.
It's no secret that friends Stark and Grant, both born in 1999, like to play together. The Skåne players followed each other through the national team as amateurs, as they were undefeated in foursomes for all those years, and when they made their Solheim Cup debut in Spain in 2023, it almost felt like a given that they would get to do it together.
Then there was a victory and a loss in foursomes - and Europe eventually managed to keep the lead.
“Very comfortable”
The following year, in their second Solheim Cup outside Washington, Stark and Grant were not allowed to play together at all, as Europe suffered its first loss since 2017.
"We've played so much together and when I play with Maja it feels very comfortable. We don't have to go through anything, I know what she expects from me and vice versa. I know what she wants to hear and doesn't want to hear," says 27-year-old Grant in the sunshine outside the media centre.
A little earlier, Anna Nordqvist stood at the 18th green and talked about the same topic, with her hat pulled down in the rain, during an autumn day that in just a few hours offered every weather imaginable.
Maja and Linn have had a lot of success during their national team years and know each other well. But it's a big puzzle to put together during the week. Yes, they played together today, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll play together later, says the Swedish captain.
“A little more old school”
In the men's Ryder Cup, statistical analysis has become an increasingly important tool when captains pair up their players. But for her first Solheim Cup as captain, Anna Nordqvist is choosing to let emotion guide her more than numbers.
I'm probably a bit more "old school". Statistics can give you a lot, but I don't know if they can always give you all the answers. Hedwall (Caroline, vice-captain) and I have speculated about how our statistics would have looked against each other. But we still played very well together, says Nordqvist.
It's about being comfortable and feeling like you're playing with someone you feel safe with during the most pressured situations.
The foursomes pairings will be presented on Thursday afternoon.
Europe's team: Céline Boutier (France), Carlota Ciganda (Spain), Linn Grant (Sweden), Esther Henseleit (Germany), Charley Hull (England), Nanna Koerstz Madsen (Denmark), Julia López Ramirez (Spain/debutant), Leona Maguire (Ireland), Nastasia Nadaud (France/debutant), Mimi Rhodes (England/debutant), Maja Stark (Sweden), Lottie Woad (England/debutant).
Team USA: Nelly Korda, Angel Yin, Jennifer Kupcho, Yealimi Noh, Auston Kim (debutant), Lauren Coughlin, Allisen Corpuz, Andrea Lee, Alison Lee, Lindy Duncan (debutant), Megan Khang, Rose Zhang.
Five last Solheim Cups:
2017 – USA won in Des Moines, Iowa.
2019 – Europe won at Scottish Gleneagles.
2021 – Europe won again at the Inverness Club in Ohio.
2023 – Europe was allowed to keep the trophy after a draw at the Spanish Finca Cortesín.
2024 – The United States won at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club outside Washington.
