Europe and United States level after entertaining first day of Solheim Cup
Carlota Ciganda celebrates a point on the 18th green with Anna Nordqvist, captain of Team Europe. Pic: Naomi Baker/Getty Images
The rain poured and the United States roared. Hope had cascaded through the European contingent at this Solheim Cup during Friday afternoon until the sort of fightback that endorsed the sense that, come Sunday evening, the US will have won this trophy in a foreign land for the first time since 2015. This compelling day concluded with the scores level at 4-4. For Europe, it had promised to be so much better.
After a morning session that closed all square at 2-2, Europe surged ahead in three fourball matches. This felt like validation for Anna Nordqvist, the home captain. She had opted not to deploy any of the four players who returned two foursomes points – Maja Stark, Linn Grant, Leona Maguire and Esther Henseleit – after lunch.
Heads turned, especially in respect of Maguire. She was controversially lightly raced as Europe lost in the 2024 Solheim Cup. Victory for Maguire and Henseleit over Andrea Lee and Lindy Duncan meant the Irishwoman became statistically the most successful European Solheim Cup player of all time. Maguire had cause to wonder why she was left on the sidelines; especially as Céline Boutier and Nanna Koerstz Madsen, who visibly toiled in the foursomes, slumped to a second defeat out of two. Megan Khang and Alison Lee cantered to a 5&3 fourball success in the one straightforward clash of the afternoon.
As the heavens opened and competitors turned for home, the US discovered pulses elsewhere. Blue started to be wiped from scoreboards. The sun was out again by the time Yealimi Noh produced the shot of the day, from a fairway bunker on the 17th. Noh could not even see the green from the sand trap yet played a glorious iron to five feet. As Noh converted from there, a three-up lead for Charley Hull and Lottie Woad after 11 holes had been cancelled out. Noh had made birdie at four holes from a run of six.
On the final green, Noh stood over a putt to complete the turnaround and win the match. Woad had been visibly distracted by music coming from the spectator village while over her attempt at a three. Noh, in fairness, had the same backdrop. The American’s attempt was tame yet a halved match represented a blow to Europe given early dominance. Noh’s partner Angel Yin was in floods of tears afterwards; her Solheim Cup involvement had been in serious doubt due to illness.
Carlota Ciganda and Julia López Ramírez were two holes to the good over Nelly Korda and Lauren Coughlin at the turn. Korda looked horrendously out of sorts. By the 16th tee, the US were one up. Europe won that hole in what suddenly looked such a crucial match. Mind games applied on the 17th, where Europe opted not to concede either one of two tap‑in American putts for a half. López found sand at the last, with Ciganda even more wayward. Ciganda struck lucky not only there but with a wild second. And still, she rescued half a point with the day’s last act. Korda and company were rightly irked.
Europe’s star turns in the afternoon were debutants. Chemistry was obvious between Mimi Rhodes and the huge-hitting Nastasia Nadaud, who closed out their success over Allisen Corpuz and Auston Kim on the penultimate green.
Hull and Woad were comfortably beaten by Korda and Corpuz in the morning. Alison Lee and Coughlin took match two over Boutier and Koerstz Madsen. Henseleit and Maguire defeated Andrea Lee and Duncan for Europe’s first point of the event. Stark and Grant ended the morning session by swatting aside Rose Zhang and Jennifer Kupcho.
The Solheim Cup involves a more sedate backdrop than its male equivalent and is all the better for that. The last Ryder Cup staging at Bethpage regressed into a moronic mess. In this rural corner of the Netherlands, nobody missed the yobbish element.
Nordqvist revealed team Europe had sought out a group of colourfully dressed fans who typically appear front and centre at Ryder Cups. The self-proclaimed “guardians of the cup” were invited to the Netherlands but, according to a Solheim Cup official, still had to pay for their tickets.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen as many European supporters,” said Nordqvist. “I know it’s just so amazing to play in an atmosphere like that. We have recruited the team from the Ryder Cup and they have been teaching everyone all these amazing songs. So it has been really cool to be on the first tee today.”
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