Day one: Europe 3-5 USA
Now that was matchplay golf. USA routed Europe in the morning, an embarrassing whitewash of the hosts, but Suzann Pettersen promised that despite being “knocked down, we stand back up and go out there again … it ain’t over yet.” Her team bounced back in the afternoon, throwing in only the second hole-in-one in Solheim Cup history to boot, and this tournament, which briefly threatened to become a day-one bust, is very much back on. True, seven of the last eight Solheim Cups have been won by the team leading after the first day. But the other one wasn’t, and you can be damn sure Europe are still dreaming, and the USA won’t be taking a single thing for granted. Same place tomorrow for another day of to-and-fro drama? See you here in the morning, then! In the meantime, thanks for reading, and nighty night.
Day one fourballs result
Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP
4&2 Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing
Europe 3-5 USA
Europe 3-5 USA
Emily Pedersen chips to six feet. Birdie far from definite. Alissen Corpuz drains her birdie putt! That leaves Maja Stark with a 12-footer for birdie of her own and a half that would mean so much to Europe. She hits it in the won’t-die-wondering style, and disappears into the hole at speed. Shades of Hinako Shibuno’s winning putt at the 2019 British Open, which without the hole would still be rolling today. What an afternoon performance by Europe, who after the coldest of starts are back in this Solheim Cup! Pedersen/Stark tie with Kupcho/Corpuz .
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (F)
Europe 3-5 USA
All four of the players in the last remaining match on the course wedge into 18. Alissen Corpuz lands 15 feet past the flag. Jennifer Kupcho sends her wedge down Lexi’s Swale, and seriously overhits her chip coming back up … but the ball hits the flagstick high up, flush, and nearly spins back into the cup! Birdie for that would have been outrageous, but she’s happy enough to run off with a par secured. Over to everyone else.
Europe 2½-4½ USA
By comparison to Leona Maguire, Carlota Ciganda has been a quiet hero. But a hero nonetheless. Spain’s favourite shakes hands on a comfortable victory in the final match, and whatever happens in the game going up 18, Europe have collectively salvaged their Solheim Cup, which was threatening to spin out of control a few hours ago. It’s far from ideal … but it’s a whole lot better, isn’t it?
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (17)
4&2 Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (F)
Europe 2½-4½ USA
Europe 1½-4½ USA
Leona Maguire makes Solheim Cup heroics look easy. They’re not easy. She’s off the front of 18 in three. Lexi Thompson is snagged in the fringe to the right of the green in two. It’s looking grim. So what does she do? Chip in, is what she does. A gentle little clip that lands a few feet in front of the hole before breaking to the right and dropping quietly into the cup. The crowd aren’t quiet, though! And suddenly the first meltdown of the week, as Lexi – there’s no other way to describe this, sorry Lexi – shanks her chip straight right, the ball then disappearing down a swale. She was about ten feet from the flag, chipping to win the match … but now look. She does extremely well to chip back up to tap-in distance. That’s moxie-squared, and it’s salvaged par, but this may well have scrambled her mind going forward for the rest of the week. Lilia Vu can’t make the long birdie putt, and Leona Maguire has executed a huge smash and grab that could have huge consequences on the American mental equilibrium. Oh Lexi. Maguire/Hall beat Thompson/Vu 1UP.
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (F)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (17)
3UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (15)
Europe 1½-4½ USA
Updated
Such is all the drama that it seems dull to report how Linn Grant just missed a six-footer on 15 to close out the final match. But she and Carlota Ciganda are dormie three.
The quality of the golf this afternoon has been off the charts. At the par-three 17th, Emily Pedersen nearly makes her second hole-in-one of the afternoon, in similar fashion to the one she made at 12: off a bank to the side, rolling straight right to inches. A big chance to go one up with one to play? Well, it would have been, yes, had Allisen Corpuz not followed up by making a huge pitch mark inches wide of the cup! Her ball screeches to a halt, inches away, and this match will be going up 18 all square as well!
Maguire/Hall A/S Thompson/Vu (17)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (17)
3UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (15)
Europe ½-4½ USA
Europe ½-4½ USA
Up on 18, Gemma Dryburgh lands her ball ten feet in front of the flag, only for the spin to take her ball back and away into the bunker. That’s terribly unfortunate. Madeline Sagstrom can’t chip close, and both players settle for par, which leaves Megan Khang and Rose Zhang both with chances to win the hole and the match from 15 feet. Rose Zhang having flopped an outrageous wedge from the base of a tree into the heart of the green. Both shave the hole, but neither make it. To be honest, neither pair deserved to lose, and that’s Europe’s first mark on the scoreboard. Dryburgh/Sagstrom tie with Zhang/Khang.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (F)
Maguire/Hall A/S Thompson/Vu (17)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (16)
3UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (14)
Europe ½-4½ USA
Updated
… meanwhile on 16, Maja Stark wedges gracefully to kick-in distance from 100 yards! That match is now all squared as well, and this entire Solheim Cup is teetering on a knife-edge … already!
Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (17)
Maguire/Hall A/S Thompson/Vu (17)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (16)
3UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (14)
Europe 0-4 USA
Georgia Hall is first up with her birdie attempt on 17. Her ball stops stubbornly on the left-hand lip. So close. Lexi Thompson leaves hers a good five feet short. The old nerves rattling there. With par already secured, Leona Maguire sends a hysterical effort miles past the hole. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. But it’s all for nought for Europe, because Lilia Vu – the woman you’d surely trust to save your life with one putt – rolls her birdie effort into the heart of the cup. The pairs are tied as they go up 18!
Nobody in the lead match finds 18 in two. Only one makes a big mistake, though, Rose Zhang pulling her shy for the green towards a small tree on the left. Her ball nestles just behind it in deep rough. She’ll probably have a route to the green, though getting close will most likely be a pipe dream. Getting on the dancefloor will be achievement enough. Shootout to come.
Birdie for Carlota Ciganda at 14. She’s been on top of her game from the get-go, and Europe go three up in the final match. Meanwhile on 17, Leona Maguire and Georgia Hall both find the green with their tee shot, though neither go close. Lilia Vu sends a dart straight at the flag, though, and while she’s 15 feet short, that’s going to be the best chance of birdie.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (17)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (16)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (15)
3UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (14)
Europe 0-4 USA
Emily Pedersen absolutely rattles her four-foot par putt on 15 into the cup. She puffs out both cheeks and blows hard. That ball jumped up before disappearing into the cup. Europe move on without suffering any more damage.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (17)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (15)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (15)
2UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (13)
Europe 0-4 USA
Emily Pedersen pulls her birdie putt at 15. Georgia Hall nearly replicates Gemma Dryburgh’s chip-in on 16. Up on 17, Rose Zhang nearly drains a long birdie putt. Hearts in European mouths as the ball shaves the hole. Madeline Sagstrom’s similarly lengthy effort stops a couple of turns short, as does Dryburgh’s. Can Megan Khang snatch the hole? No, not quite, but oh-so-nearly. Her 15-foot right-to-left curler brushes the right-hand lip only to roll agonisingly past. They’re off down the last.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (17)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (15)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (14)
2UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (13)
Europe 0-4 USA
A few darts being thrown at flags on 17 and 16. Big putting contests coming up. The approaches at 15 aren’t so good, with only Emily Pedersen finding the dancefloor. But a lot of short-game shenanigans are on the cards here. Much could change in the next few minutes.
Things change quickly all right. Gemma Dryburgh pitches in from 70 yards on 16, one of those you knew was always heading in, the moment it first landed on the green and rolled out. Serene. Sensational. Dryburgh and Madeline Sagstrom cavort in each other’s arms. But it’s a premature celebration, as the brilliant young debutant Rose Zhang rolls a 15-foot birdie putt in for the half. Serene and sensational as well, only in a different sort of way. Matchplay golf, we love it!
Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (16)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (15)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (14)
2UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (13)
Europe 0-4 USA
Lexi Thompson’s putter has suddenly gone cold at so many inopportune moments in her storied career, and here’s another. A small pull at a four-foot par putt on 15 and suddenly Europe have the advantage with holes running out. That’s a bitter pill for the USA, as Lilia Vu looked to have scrambled her par with a sensational splash out of a deep greenside bunker, only to miss her short putt as well.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (15)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (15)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (14)
2UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (13)
Europe 0-4 USA
Jennifer Kupcho makes another big birdie putt! She rattles in a confident left-to-right swinger from 25 feet on 14, and that’s a blow for Emily Pedersen, who had driven the green and was waiting to hit her eagle putt. Pedersen’s eventual effort lips out, a proper slingshot that leaves a tricky four-footer for the half. Pedersen does very well to gather herself and make it.
These matches should finish tonight. They should. Sunset in Casares is at 8.19pm local time, so there’s nearly a couple of hours daylight. Fingers crossed. Don’t leave us hanging here, Carlota.
Linn Grant makes her birdie at 12, much as expected after nearly making that hole in one. But Ally Ewing had done her level best to ace as well, and though her tee shot stops three feet from the flag, miles away in this daft context, she’s making her birdie with ease as well. Meanwhile Gemma Dryburgh and Madeline Sagstrom take turns to miss short par putts on 15, and their freshly found lead is given up in short order.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (15)
Maguire/Hall A/S Thompson/Vu (14)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (13)
2UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (12)
Europe 0-4 USA
Jennifer Kupcho walks in a 12-footer for birdie at 13. That’s a proper matchplay blow that takes a little bit of wind out of Emily Pedersen’s sail. High on life after the ace, and with half the distance to cover to the hole, she pushes her birdie effort wide right, and what threatened to become a European lead in their match – and a complete scoreboard sweep of blue - is now an American one. And there’s more good news for the USA at 14, where Lexi Thompson rolls in her eagle putt to tie up the second game. In the blink of an eye, what looked an extremely promising situation for Europe has been reined in somewhat. The Solheim Cup, ladies and gentlemen, right here!
1UP Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang (14)
Maguire/Hall A/S Thompson/Vu (14)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (13)
2UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (11)
Europe 0-4 USA
This action is genuinely outrageous! Linn Grant very nearly replicates Emily Pedersen’s ace at 12, bounce for bounce, roll for roll! Her ball stops at kick-in distance, it’ll be a birdie for sure. And that’s coming straight off the back of Grant’s birdie on 11, an effort that doubled Europe’s lead in the last match to two holes. The Solheim Cup, ladies and gentlemen, right here!
Anything Madeline Sagstrom can nearly do, Lexi Thompson can nearly do as well. She creams her drive at 14 onto the bank to the side of the green, and while her ball doesn’t threaten the hole, the rougher surface cushions some of its speed and allows it to stay on the back of the green. She’ll have a great look at eagle, and a chance to wipe some of the blue off the scoreboard.
Well, that’s leavened the European mood all right! And it’s getting better and better, because Madeline Sagstrom, whose near-albatross drive whistled over the back of the 14th, gets up and down for birdie. For the first time in the lead match, Europe lead!
1UP Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang (14)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (13)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (12)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (10)
Europe 0-4 USA
Hole-in-one for Emily Pedersen!
As if on cue, Emily Pedersen does what Madeline Sagstrom so nearly managed twice today! The 27-year-old Dane lands her tee shot at the par-three 12th on the banking to the left-hand side of the green, the ball taking a 90-degree turn to the right before rolling inexorably into the cup! She leaps around in borderline disbelief – and actual joy – with her partner Maja Stark. Not a bad way to level the match at all … and only minutes after so nearly holing out from the fairway on 11. She’s in the zone all right, and given Angel Yin nearly aced 6 as well, there must be something in the air this afternoon! It’s only the second hole-in-one in Solheim Cup history, after Anna Nordqvist’s effort on the 17th at Colorado GC in 2013.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (13)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (12)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (12)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (10)
Europe 0-4 USA
Updated
The ever-entertaining Madeline Sagstrom nearly aced the par-three 6th. Now she nearly makes a hole-in-one on the 353-yard par-four 14th! Her booming drive races through the green and isn’t too far away from shaving the left lip at all. But the golfing gods decree there’s to be no albatross-infused fun today. What a drive, though. Bucket hats off!
Emily Pedersen finds a penalty area with her tee shot at 11. No matter! She drops, then whips a fairway wood to 12 inches or so! What a par that is! Jennifer Kupcho takes two putts to halve the hole.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (13)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (12)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (11)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (10)
Europe 0-4 USA
Back-to-back birdies for Gemma Dryburgh! She celebrates in the grand style, having holed out from 25 feet … but the dream of a third hole in a row is snuffed out by Rose Zhang, who rolls a staunch 12-foot birdie putt into the cup to keep her team level. That’s a huge putt to halt Europe’s momentum.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (13)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (12)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (10)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (9)
Europe 0-4 USA
A couple of stunning tee shots at the par-three 12th. Leona Maguire sends a gentle fade into the green, her ball ending up eight feet behind the flag. Lexi Thompson sees that and raises her, using the camber to the left of the green to bounce her ball back across to four feet. Maguire is quickly on point to ram home her birdie putt, putting the pressure back on Lexi, who is forced to step back from her putt because of the high wind. But she resets herself and rolls in the birdie effort. A proper matchplay trading of blows there. Superb golf, right out of the top drawer!
A short-range putting competition on 10. Allisen Corpuz makes a six footer for par, turning up the heat on Emily Pedersen, who has a putt from similar range. She knocks it into the centre of the cup, Lilia Vu style, and the spoils are shared. Meanwhile up on 12, Megan Khang tickles in a 15-footer for par … but it’s all in vain for the Americans because Gemma Dryburgh had stuck her tee shot to four feet, and she calmly makes the birdie putt to level the lead match! Europe are doing their level best to repair some of the damage caused by this morning’s rout.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (12)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (11)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (10)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (8)
Europe 0-4 USA
Yes, it’s slow. But it’s genuinely fascinating as well. As things stand, the USA could whitewash Europe today, unprecedented behaviour, or Europe could level the match, or the day one result could be anything in between. It’s all in the balance, and all perfectly possible. The tough conditions are or aren’t helping, depending on which way you look at it. But things are going to hot up sooner or later.
Updated
Madeline Sagstrom wins the 11th hole with bogey. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s always life-affirming to see the greatest players in the world struggle like mere mortals / weekend hackers / Dustin Johnson on major-championship Sundays circa 2010-15.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (11)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (10)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (9)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (8)
Europe 0-4 USA
Has Georgia Hall’s confidence really been shaken by those three weak chips on 9? Not at all. She rolls in a 12-foot par putt from the fringe at 10 to salvage par and a half, after Lexi Thompson wasn’t able to tickle in her birdie putt. Meanwhile back on 9, birdie for Jennifer Kupcho that hauls the USA back on terms in today’s penultimate match.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 2UP (10)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (10)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (9)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (8)
Europe 0-4 USA
Advantage Lexi on the par-three 10th. She’s pin high, and the only player to find the dancefloor. Meanwhile the wind continues to lash around Andalusia, and all four players in the lead group are out of position on 11. In fact both Gemma Dryburgh and Rose Zhang have had to take penalty drops. More on the mayhem when we have it.
Leona Maguire misses a reasonably straight (for this course) birdie putt to win 9. Not the greatest hole in terms of a confidence booster for Europe, given Georgia Hall had, from the centre of the fairway, sent her wedge down a swale to the left, then failed to get her ball up the slope in two attempts. But the pair are still leading Lexi Thompson and Lilia Vu by a hole as they hit the turn.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 2UP (10)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (9)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (8)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (7)
Europe 0-4 USA
Megan Khang creams her tee shot at the dramatic downhill par-three 10th to three feet. Gemma Dryburgh finds a deep bunker to the right of the green, and she’s shortsided, but whips out immaculately to three feet. But she prods with great uncertainty at the short par putt, which turns off to the left, and there’s no need to make Khang convert her birdie chance. The US double their lead.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 2UP (10)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (8)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (7)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (7)
Europe 0-4 USA
Georgia Hall has made the only birdie in the second match so far, back on 4. She nearly makes the second, at 7, but her 15-footer lips out. That allows the new British Open champion Lilia Vu to roll in a ten-footer to halve the hole. A big chance to build a cushioned lead goes by. Vu popped that one right into the middle of the cup, incidentally, the sort of thing she did with astonishing regularity on the final day at Walton Heath last month. No messing. If you needed to choose one player to make the putt that’d save your life, it’d surely be Vu.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (9)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (8)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (7)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (6)
Europe 0-4 USA
An 18-inch par putt at 7 for Maja Stark. In it goes, and she celebrates winning the hole in the theatrical style. I wonder whether she’s a bit piqued at having been asked to make such a tiddler? Maybe I’m reading too much into it. She’s certainly not stomping around with an affronted face on in the style of, say, Lee Westwood in Ryder Cups past, so perhaps I am. Still, perhaps this Solheim Cup is developing a little edge? Hey, it’s been known.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (9)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (7)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (7)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (6)
Europe 0-4 USA
Angel Yin follows Madeline Sagstrom in nearly slam-dunking her tee shot at 6. Instead she tidies up for a birdie to win the hole. She has to wait some time to do it, mind, as Carlota Ciganda and Linn Grant take their sweet time between them to post a par. All’s fair in love and war, but Yin fair slammed in her short putt, perhaps betraying a little bit of impatience, a reaction any weekend hacker who has been made to wait for some slow bugger to go through their interminable putting routine will doubtless understand. Anyway, Europe’s lead in the match is cut by half and their fans in the gallery have fallen noticeably quieter as a result.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (8)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (7)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (6)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (6)
Europe 0-4 USA
Updated
One of the stranger two-putt pars you’ll ever see by Georgia Hall on 7. She races a downhill birdie effort 15 feet past the cup, then pours the one coming back straight into the middle. It’s some way to halve the hole. Meanwhile both Gemma Dryburgh and Madeline Sagstrom take a shy at very makeable birdie efforts on 8, but neither manage to win the hole. Sagstrom particularly disappointed having been on the par-five green in two.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (8)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (7)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (6)
2UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (5)
Europe 0-4 USA
Angel Yin and Ally Ewing are always out of position going down 5. But they stay within touching distance in the match thanks to Ewing’s steering in of a right-to-left 12-footer for par. Had that missed, Carlota Ciganda and Linn Grant would have been three up. They’re still sitting nicely two holes to the good, the best nick any European team has been in today.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (7)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (6)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (6)
2UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (5)
Europe 0-4 USA
It’s pretty windy now at Finca Cortesin. That might be giving the players a little more pause for thought. Literally. Flagsticks whipping. Shrubbery oscillating. Everyone in the opening group hitting stingers under the wind on the par-five 8th. That sort of thing. Action at a premium.
A putting competition at 6. Four attempts at making par. Lexi Thompson and Georgia Hall miss; Lilia Vu makes hers, asking the question of Leona Maguire, who has the answer. Europe keep hold of the lead in the second match … but the USA take possession of it in the lead match, Megan Khang curling in a perfectly-paced left-to-right 20-footer and celebrating with her partner Rose Zhang, the pair throwing some of those shapes the kids entertain themselves with these days.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (7)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (6)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (5)
2UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (4)
Europe 0-4 USA
Updated
The pace of play here is glacial. Carlota Ciganda has copped her fair share of flak for dragging her feet this season, but whatever works for her. Birdie at 4 – she wasn’t too far away from steering in an eagle putt – and the Spanish hero puts Europe two up in the final match.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (6)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (5)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (4)
2UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (4)
Europe 0-4 USA
Madelene Sagstrom – doing her bit in bringing the Maurice Flitcroft bucket hat back into fashion – tidies up for her birdie and ties the opening match. She waves her arms in the air to get the crowd going. They were stunned into near-silence this morning, but Europe are doing their best to keep them interested. This can’t be described as a European comeback quite yet, but it’s not nothing either.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (6)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (5)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (4)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (3)
Europe 0-4 USA
One more big bounce, and Madelene Sagstrom would have been celebrating only the second hole-in-one in Solheim Cup history right now. She sends an arrow straight at the flag at the par-three 6th, the ball stopping a couple of feet short. If that. For the record, Anna Nordqvist made the aforementioned ace, on the 17th at Colorado GC in 2013.
Eagle for Georgia Hall at the par-five 4th! Pin high in two, a 15-foot putt lasered into the cup. Absolutely no reaction from the 2018 British Open champion, who looks like she means business. A second birdie of the afternoon for the debutant Rose Zhang, meanwhile, this time at 5 to regain the lead for the US in the lead match in short order.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (5)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (4)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (3)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (2)
Europe 0-4 USA
Angel Yin’s approach into 2 isn’t all that. No matter! She rakes in a spectacular 40-foot birdie putt. But it’s all for nought as Carlota Ciganda makes a 15-footer of her own to half the hole. That’s a birdie-birdie start for Ciganda as she begins her Solheim Cup campaign on home soil.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (4)
Maguire/Hall A/S Thompson/Vu (3)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1 UP (3)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (2)
Europe 0-4 USA
Updated
… but the news from 2 is less welcome for Europe. Jennifer Kupcho pours a 20-foot birdie effort straight into the cup, and the erstwhile Augusta National champion ensures some red remains on the scoreboard. It’s nip and tuck so far this afternoon.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (4)
Maguire/Hall A/S Thompson/Vu (3)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1 UP (2)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (1)
Europe 0-4 USA
Updated
A drippy nightmare for debutant Gemma Dryburgh on 5. Her approach plonks into the water down the left of the hole. She drops and chips up towards the green, but her club snags in the thick Bermuda grass and there’s no oomph behind it. The ball drops apologetically by the side of the water she’s just visited, takes one kick left, and goes for another swim. Oh dear. Dryburgh has the good grace to smile, nominative determinism having been no bloody help whatsoever. And it doesn’t matter anyway, as her partner Madelene Sagstrom makes birdie to win the hole!
The home hero Carlota Ciganda delivers immediately! She teases a delicious chip down from a high position to the right of the 1st green to four feet. That follows Ally Ewing’s not-particularly-close wedge in from the fairway. Ewing can’t make the 12-footer she’s left herself, and Ciganda makes no mistake with her short putt to put a much-needed dash of blue on the board. That’s got the crowd going. Y Viva España! as the earlier bedlam had it.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (3)
Maguire/Hall A/S Thompson/Vu (2)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (1)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (1)
Europe 0-4 USA
Suzann Pettersen makes a promise to Sky Sports. “We get knocked down, we stand back up and go out there again … it ain’t over yet.” Meanwhile on 2, Georgia Hall and Lilia Vu take turns to narrowly miss birdie putts. Hole tied.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (3)
Maguire/Hall A/S Thompson/Vu (2)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (1)
Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing
Europe 0-4 USA
Thanks Dave. Now then. Here’s Angel Yin … and she suffers a huge rush of blood to the head, pulling a monster drive over the punters to the left of the green and into the trees way behind. Well, that’s unprecedented. Ally Ewing lays up as a result. Then Linn Grant only just finds the green with her drive, but the ball topples back into the drink. Finally Carlota Ciganda hoicks long and wild, into the gallery back-right of the green. A random selection, and it’s advantage to the one player who played it safe with an iron.
And with ‘Viva Espana’ ringing out on the 1st tee, it’s time for Carlota Ciganda. And, just as significantly, Scott Murray is back to guide you through the afternoon action. Take it away Scott…
Updated
Stark eyes up her eagle try at the 1st as some more generic party music blares away loudly back on the tee. It’s around 35 feet away and she cosies it up to three-and-a-half feet. That won’t be conceded though. Corpuz can’t make a difficult birdie putt from just off the green so it’s now Kupcho for the win. Oof, it’s a bit heavy-handed and that’s a niggly one back. Pedersen and Corpuz both miss par putts – both were more for putting practice – but now the real battle: the birdie tries for Stark and Kupcho. From almost identical distance, Stark holes first and the American follows her in. All square.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (2)
Maguire/Hall A/S Thompson/Vu (1)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (1)
1.25 pm: Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing
American rhyming duo Zhang and Khang remain 1up at the par-5 2nd after the hole is halved. Khang had a chance from about 18 feet to win it but couldn’t convert her birdie.
Europe switch tactics in the third match as Maja Stark, the first to hit, goes for the green at the par-4 1st… and finds it! There’s already a ball on there (a similar distance away), courtesy of Jennifer Kupcho after Allisen Corpuz laid up. For Europe, it’ll be down to Stark, though, as Emily Kristine Pedersen tugs her drive into the wet stuff.
Updated
No move by Europe in the second match as it’s halved in par. Vu’s lengthy lag putt is excellent and stops a few inches away for a gimme. Thompson and Hall don’t threaten the hole, leaving Maguire with a 15-footer for the win. It’s close but not close enough and it’s par v par. On they go to the next.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (1)
Maguire/Hall A/S Thompson/Vu (1)
1.10 pm: Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz
1.25 pm: Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing
Updated
An unexpected chance for Europe to win the 1st hole in the second match. Maguire wedges to about 15 feet while Hall’s chip from gnarly rough balloons high, settles quickly and finishes 40 or so feet from the pin. But, in response, Thompson duffs her chip in ungainly, giving it some body English fashion and doesn’t make the green. Vu makes a meal of her bunker shot and it only just holds the green.
Updated
In the second match, Lexi Thompson finds the short grass right of the green, freeing up Lilia Vu to take aim at the flag. She finds the front bunker. It’s a similar strategy for Europe, Leona Maguire laying up first and Georgia Hall pulling out the big chief. Hall’s drive clears the water but whips left of the putting surface. No balls on the green but four chances of up and downs for birdie.
Updated
Zhang and Kang can’t convert their eagle putts but a US birdie is conceded. Now, over to Europe. Dryburgh overreads her putt (a theme, it seems) while Sagstrom’s birdie try lips out. Ouch, the worst start possible for the hosts and we have red on the board already.
Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (1)
12.55 pm: Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu
1.10 pm: Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz
1.25 pm: Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing
Obviously, there will be less opportunity for holes to be won when both sides have two balls in play. Dryburgh wedges fairly close but her ball spins back to about 15 feet away. Watched by Ryder Cup star Ludvig Aberg, Sagstrom knocks her bunker short about eight feet past so a couple of chances to repel what looks an inevitable American birdie.
There’s a statement from the Americans. Zhang and Kang both go for the green at the short par-4 opening hole and find it! Dryburgh lays up while Sagstrom, looking cool in a bucket hat, finds the back bunker. Advantage USA there.
A good ‘clutching at straws’ omen… Europe won the afternoon fourballs 4-0 on day two in 2013. So you never know!
Righty, the players have been fed and watered and we’re ready for the afternoon fourballs. A reminder of the matches:
12.40 pm: Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang
12.55 pm: Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu
1.10 pm: Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz
1.25 pm: Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing
The Americans look very loose, dancing along to something I can’t quite hear but I’ll go with naff Europop.
More from Matt Cooper at the course. Check out these hot bullet points:
Ludvig Aberg expected to be on 1st tee watching fellow Swede Madelene Sagstrom.
Maja Stark’s family and friends out in force wearing t-shirts that say “Maja’s Patrol” or Swedish equivalent - it’s what she called all her tosy when she lined them up as a kid.
The walk is seriously tough - downhill, uphill, the worst is the sidehills! Hard to stand at times. Tough for a lot of older folk.
At many times there is just one pathway through a gorge or scrubland - TV crew are getting stuck in the traffic.
There are two guys, rumoured to be ex-CIA, who are leading the business of getting the players through these gaps and it is quite a task. Even they look exhausted.
Charley Hull looked ill all week - I tweeted about her being sniffly. She spent the opening ceremony fanning herself as if hot.
Crowds really good.
Randomly there are two French people out there dressed as American eagles - and supporting the US team. US vice-captain Morgan Pressel loves them and had her photo taken with them.
Updated
Our fellow Guardian golf blogger, Matt Cooper, is at the course and he’s just sent this. Hmmm, interesting.
“The opening ceremony gave me bad vibes. Lewis was very good, Pettersen a bit try hard. Euro outfits were odd and made them look uncomfortable. But the key was the end. The US went and engaged with the US crowds and looked really pumped; the Euros looked desperate to get out of the arena and sort of left by a side door. I said there and then ‘US are 2-up already’.”
Hopefully the presence of Carlota Cigana can change the vibe. Speaking on Sky Sports, former European captain Catriona Matthew said this: “Carlota and Linn at the end, I think that’s a really good pairing. Carlota is playing well, coming into a bit of form. Linn is a steady player and hit a lot of good shots this morning. They’ll be out for some revenge.
“I think being the loan Spaniard in the team, Carlota can really get this crowd going. We need Carlota to come out with the Spanish passion, make lots of birdies, get them going. I think if the other players can hear roars coming from the last group, that could really get them going.”
Paul McGinley called this a “potential crisis” earlier, and that was when two of the matches were still unresolved. When the 4-0 scoreline was confirmed he upgraded that. “A big, big, big blow,” said Europe’s winning skipper from the 2014 Ryder Cup. But maybe there’s a good omen from Gleneagles: Europe lost the opening session 2.5-1.5 back then and went on to win the match 16.5-11.5.
Then again, 4-0 though. It’s hard to feel positive about that and seven of the last eight Solheim Cups have been won by the team leading after day one. The Americans need just half a point from this afternoon’s four matches to enter Saturday with their noses in front.
Afternoon fourballs announcecd
Hot off the press! These are the afternoon fourballs…
(Europe first, all times BST)
12.40 pm: Gemma Dryburgh and Madelene Sagstrom v Rose Zhang and Megan Khang
12.55 pm: Leona Maguire and Georgia Hall v Lexi Thompson and Lilia Vu
1.10 pm: Emily Kristine Pedersen and Maja Stark v Jennifer Kupcho and Allisen Corpuz
1.25 pm: Carlota Ciganda and Linn Grant v Angel Yin and Ally Ewing
Europe are in a completely unknown position here. Foursomes has been a big strength and paved the way for victory in past Solheim Cups. A quick look at the history books shows that they’ve never been behind in the morning session since 2011, having leads in four of those matches. Now, they find themselves 4-0 down. Where does it go from here?
2021 Inverness: Europe 3.5 USA 0.5 - Europe won match 15-13
2019 Gleneagles: Europe 2.5 USA 1.5 - Europe won match 14.5-13.5
2017 Des Moines: Europe 2.5 USA 1.5 - USA won match 16.5-11.5
2015 St. Leon-Rot: Europe 2 USA 2 - USA won match 14.5-13.5
2013 Colorado: Europe 3 USA 1 - Europe won match 18-10
2011 Killeen Castle: Europe 2 USA 2 - Europe won match 15-13
I thank you. Well, deary me, that was a tough watch from a European perspective. Perhaps we need some light relief before the fourballs are: a) announced, b) begin. Let’s go back to Germany in 2015. This really did happen.
We're used to music on the first tee, but this is new! @SolheimCup2015 pic.twitter.com/dDDNbuNqLS
— Beth Ann Nichols (@GolfweekNichols) September 18, 2015
… so with that, I’m standing down, with extreme prejudice. Let the extremely loveable David Tindall be your guide for the next hour or so. See you again after that!
USA captain Stacy Lewis talks to Sky Sports. “You could not ask for much more … it’s been the vibe we’ve had all week … I just told the girls, thank you for believing in me … we’re really sticking to what we’ve got and getting those who didn’t play out.”
Day one foursomes result: Europe 0-4 USA
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 2&1
Boutier/Hall v Kang/Lee 1UP
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 1UP
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 5&4
Europe 0-4 USA
That’s a nightmare start for Europe, a sensationally good one for the USA. You can’t really quibble too much about the scoreline, either, the visitors taking the initiative from the get-go and maintaining their supercool throughout the morning. Only Maja Stark, Celine Boutier and Leona Maguire brought their A-game for Europe; by contrast everyone had their best stuff going. It’s already looking like a long way back from here for Europe … but then there’s a long way to go. Europe can’t afford to lose any more ground in the afternoon, though.
Europe 0-4 USA
Allisen Corpuz rolls it into the centre of the cup, and it’s a foursomes clean sweep for the USA! Korda/Corpuz beat Maguire/Nordqvist 1UP.
Updated
… but she leaves it high on the left, just as Celine Boutier did a few minutes previously. Now Allisen Corpuz has a five-footer for a clean swipe of the morning board for America. She steps up, and …
… but she sends a hot chip up the swale, over the flag and 25 feet past the hole. Nelly Korda races the downhill putt five feet past, and the door is suddenly ajar for Europe! Such a big putt coming up for Anna Nordqvist and Europe now. A precious half point if it goes in!
Europe really need to salvage a half from this final pairing now. They’re up against it, though. Leona Maguire wedges straight at the flag, leaving her partner Anna Nordqvist a very makeable 12-foot birdie putt. But that’s their third stroke, and Nelly Korda has crashed America’s second green-high. Should Allisen Corpuz chip close, this is as good as over.
Europe 0-3 USA
Danielle Kang’s gentle left-to-right slider up 18 momentarily threatens to drop, taking European hopes with it. But it dies off to the right at the end. It’s only a 18 inches away and as good as dead. That makes Celine Boutier’s putt a must-make … and it’s never going in, always missing on the left. Another point for the USA, and the Spanish gallery is pretty quiet right now. Kang/Lee beat Boutier/Hall 1UP.
Boutier/Hall v Kang/Lee 1UP (F)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 1UP (17)
Europe 0-3 USA
Updated
Andrea Lee’s wedge into 18 isn’t all that, stopping 25 feet short. A chance for Europe to grab an advantage … but while Georgia Hall’s ball lands just ten feet from the flag, spin takes it another ten feet away. Big putting competition coming up.
Danielle Kang lays up at 18. A twirl of the club. Perfectly executed. Celine Boutier lays up as well. A little bit further than Kang, so the US will be wedging in first, a huge advantage in these matchplay circumstances. And speaking of matchplay swings, what about this on 17?! Leona Maguire curls in a monster birdie putt to keep the Europeans alive! Given what she’s just witnessed, Alissen Corpuz responds extremely well to make her birdie too. That match will go up 18 as well!
Boutier/Hall v Kang/Lee 1UP (17)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 1UP (17)
Europe 0-2 USA
Updated
They’re very close to that now. At the par-three 17th, Anna Nordqvist lands her tee shot 25 feet from the flag … only for Nelly Korda to send an arrow to six feet. Some big putts coming up now, with Europe in a world of trouble. Up on 18, Andrea Lee and Georgia Hall take turns to split the fairway at the par five.
Boutier/Hall v Kang/Lee 1UP (17)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 1UP (16)
Europe 0-2 USA
Anna Nordqvist sends a delightful second into 16, setting up a ten-footer for birdie. Nelly Korda responds well by sending hers to 15 feet, but Allisen Corpuz leaves her putt out on the right. Leona Maguire barges through the open door to make birdie and stay very much alive. But up on 17, Danielle Kang and Celine Boutier take turns to throw darts at the flag. Andrea Lee makes her putt from ten feet; Georgia Hall misses from similar distance. Dormie, and the best Europe can do in match two is a half point. As things stand, the USA are on course for a full sweep of the morning matches!
Boutier/Hall v Kang/Lee 1UP (17)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 1UP (16)
Europe 0-2 USA
Europe 0-2 USA
Linn Grant and Maja Stark did so well to haul themselves back into their match after the most sluggish of starts, three down after three holes. But the effort has done for them in the end. They run out of juice at the par-three 17th. Megan Khang hits an excitable birdie putt from the fringe in the hope of wrapping the match up in style. She leaves Lexi Thompson some work to do, but the 2014 Dinah Shore winner tidies up. Linn Grant then shoves a poor short par putt to the right, and the jig is up. Thompson/Khang beat Grant/Stark 2&1.
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 2&1 (F)
Boutier/Hall A/S Kang/Lee (15)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 2UP (15)
Europe 0-2 USA
Updated
Europe 0-1 USA
Cheyenne Knight has missed a couple of putts today. Had she made them, the final foursomes would already be over. But she makes no mistake with the four-footer Ally Ewing rather clumsily leaves her on 14, with Team USA needing a simple two-putts for par. The first point on the board is a red one! Ewing/Knight beat Hull/Pedersen 5&4.
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 1UP (16)
Boutier/Hall A/S Kang/Lee (15)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 2UP (15)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 5&4 (F)
Europe 0-1 USA
Updated
Lexi Thompson creams America’s second into the heart of 16; Linn Grant pulls hers into a bunker. Maja Stark then sends the ball through the green and into the fringe at the back. Megan Khang plays the percentages, lagging up to secure the par … only for Linn Grant to drain a 40-footer to halve the hole! The gallery erupts. Europe right on the edge there, but they’re refusing to budge those crucial final inches!
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 1UP (16)
Boutier/Hall A/S Kang/Lee (15)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 2UP (14)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 5UP (13)
It’s dormie five for the USA in the final match. For a while, it looked as though Europe might snatch another hole back, Ally Ewing up against the lip of a fairway bunker at 13. But she plays the percentages, and takes her medicine, relying on Cheyenne Knight’s short game. Knight knocks close and Ewing tidies up for a hole-having par. Meanwhile Celine Boutier, from the top of the bank to the side of 15, lands an outrageous chip softly on the green and rolls it out to kick-in distance. That is simply magnificent. Europe scramble their par and remain tied.
Leona Maguire and Anna Nordqvist are living on the edge. Had Allisen Corpuz hit her 12-foot putt on 14 just a fraction less aggressively, it’d have dropped and the USA would be three up in that match. They’re still in good nick as it stands. Meanwhile it’s also advantage USA on 15, where Andrea Lee uses the camber of the green to gather her approach into its heart, while Georgia Hall sends hers wide right, leaving Celine Boutier with a hellishly tricky chip from atop a bank.
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 1UP (15)
Boutier/Hall A/S Kang/Lee (14)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 2UP (14)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 5UP (12)
Maja Stark’s second into 15 is decent; Megan Khang’s is delicious, pin high to six feet. Linn Grant leaves her long birdie putt five feet wide right, the juice on her ball drained as it hits the American marker. That doesn’t make any difference to the outcome, though, because Lexi Thompson curls in the birdie putt, perfectly paced, and the Americans, having shipped a three-hole lead, hit the front again!
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 1UP (15)
Boutier/Hall A/S Kang/Lee (14)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 2UP (13)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 5UP (12)
Allisen Corpuz doesn’t get particularly close with her iron into 13. But neither does Nelly Korda with her subsequent birdie putt. Korda leaves it a good five feet short. Anna Nordqvist, having been left pin high, 20 feet away, lags up to secure par. A big putt coming up for Corpuz, then … and in it goes. The USA wouldn’t have fancied losing that hole to a three-putt, especially after being in prime position from the tee. But they retain their two-hole lead, and holes are beginning to run out now.
Grant/Stark A/S Thompson/Khang (14)
Boutier/Hall A/S Kang/Lee (13)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 2UP (13)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 5UP (11)
An outrageous putt on 13! Danielle Kang drains a Texas Wedge from off the front, a 50-foot tramliner that’s always dropping! It gets the USA out of a spot of bother, having been out of position. Celine Boutier, preparing for an eight-foot putt to win, now has to make it for a half. In it goes, and that’s a fine make in the circumstances. The match remains tied.
Are we witnessing the start of a comeback for the ages? Charley Hull lands her tee shot at 10 eight feet from the flag, and in goes Emily Pedersen’s birdie putt. Just the five holes back now and … well, OK. But Pedersen punches the air, the first small victory of her Solheim Cup. Realistically the match has gone, but a less humiliating result is the goal, with a view to building up some much-needed confidence. And, well, you never know in matchplay golf.
Grant/Stark A/S Thompson/Khang (13)
Boutier/Hall A/S Kang/Lee (12)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 2UP (12)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 5UP (10)
Maja Stark sends her approach at 13 to ten feet. That puts the pressure on Megan Khang, who can’t get any spin out of the rough and can only find the back of the green, miles from the flag. Lexi Thompson gives the long birdie putt her best go, but it was a statistical pipe dream. Linn Grant steers in the gentle left-to-right birdie slider, and the Swedish debutants, three down after three holes, have fought back to all-square! What a performance this has been, whatever the outcome.
Grant/Stark A/S Thompson/Khang (13)
Boutier/Hall A/S Kang/Lee (12)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 2UP (11)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 6UP (9)
Anna Nordqvist is not on it at all. Another of her tee shots goes flying into a bush, and despite Leona Maguire’s best efforts – she creams a hybrid pin high to ten feet – that’s another hole gone for Europe in match three. But much better news for Europe in the second rubber, as Georgia Hall whips her tee shot at the par-three 12th to 12 feet, and the ice-cool Celine Boutier rolls in for birdie. All square, and the leaderboard is no longer all red.
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 1UP (12)
Boutier/Hall A/S Kang/Lee (12)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 2UP (11)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 6UP (9)
You half suspect Charley Hull and Emily Pedersen would like to pick up and head back to the clubhouse. Pedersen fluffs a chip from the bottom of a greenside swale, and while she nearly drains the long bogey putt Hull eventually sets up for her, that’s yet another hole gone. Sky report that Hull was receiving treatment on her neck and back 30 minutes before teeing off, so perhaps this outcome isn’t quite as surprising as it seems. It’s not going to help any, put it that way.
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 1UP (12)
Boutier/Hall v Kang/Lee 1UP (11)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 1UP (10)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 6UP (9)
Superb scrambling at 10. Nelly Korda splashes out to kick-in distance. Anna Nordqvist lags her Texas Wedge to similar range. Both remaining putts should be conceded, and they are, but only after a dramatic beat. Everyone smiles once the decision is made. Meanwhile up on 12, Linn Grant can’t make her birdie putt. We move on.
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 1UP (12)
Boutier/Hall v Kang/Lee 1UP (11)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 1UP (10)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 5UP (8)
Maja Stark is on one, and now she creams her tee shot at the par-three 12th to 15 feet. A big chance to level the match coming up! Meanwhile good luck calling the outcome of events at the downhill par-three 10th; Allisen Corpuz dunks her tee shot into a deep bunker to the right, while Leona Maguire pulls hers way left of the green.
Charley Hull’s wild tee shot at 8 finds a bush and puts Europe in a world of trouble from the get-go. The inevitable happens and the hosts are five down through eight holes in this final match. The USA have missed a couple of putts to win, as well. But what about this from the Swedish debutants who led Europe out this morning? Linn Grant and Maja Stark went three down in short order, but they’ve now pulled back the arrears to a single hole. Both teams came up short at the par-four 11th, but the Europeans managed to get up and down while the Americans did not. Stark made the putt that won the hole, again; after a very shaky start, she’s quickly become the star European performer so far. A complete refusal to cede any further ground, and now look!
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 1UP (11)
Boutier/Hall v Kang/Lee 1UP (10)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 1UP (9)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 5UP (8)
Celine Boutier misjudges the grain of the green on 10, sending her 20-foot birdie putt eight feet past the hole. Georgia Hall can’t make the one coming back. Meanwhile Nelly Korda drains a 15-foot birdie effort on 9, putting sudden pressure on Anna Nordqvist, who misses from six feet, passing up a glorious opportunity set up by Leona Maguire’s fine approach. That’s a classic matchplay blow dealt by the USA there, and all of a sudden, the visitors are up in all four matches.
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 2UP (10)
Boutier/Hall v Kang/Lee 1UP (10)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 1UP (9)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 4UP (7)
The 10th is a spectacular par-three, an elevated tee 20 yards above the green. Maja Stark lands her tee shot five feet from the flag; Magan Khang drops hers halfway inside that. Both of the birdie putts go in, and on we go. Meanwhile Andrea Lee sends America’s approach pin high at 9 to 12 feet. Danielle Khang rattles in the birdie putt, and the US are level again in match two. Then coming behind fast, Nelly Korda, her putter stone cold all season, misses a short birdie opportunity to give the US the lead in the third game. Still very much advantage USA overall, but Grant and Stark are hanging on in the opening rubber, and it’s all square in two.
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 2UP (10)
Boutier/Hall A/S Kang/Lee (9)
Maguire/Nordqvist A/S Korda/Corpuz (8)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 4UP (7)
Updated
… and here we go! Europe are on the par-five 8th in two big hits. Georgia Hall leaves the eagle putt a good five feet short. Danielle Kang can’t drain a long birdie effort. Celine Boutier, who has perhaps been Europe’s most on-point performer this morning, showcases the ice in her veins that landed that Evian / Scottish Open back-to-back double earlier this year, tidying up for a birdie that puts some blue back on the board!
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 2UP (8)
1UP Boutier/Hall v Kang/Lee (8)
Maguire/Nordqvist A/S Korda/Corpuz (7)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 4UP (6)
Updated
Better news for Europe on 7. Nelly Korda hits a hot chip eight feet past the hole, Allisen Corpuz can’t make the par putt coming back, and Leona Maguire is able to roll in from six feet to level the match. All of a sudden, things don’t look quite so bad for the hosts. It’s not great, but it’s less bad. Baby steps in the right direction, and we’re only a couple of hours in, things can and will change quickly, one way or t’other.
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 2UP (8)
Boutier/Hall A/S Kang/Lee (7)
Maguire/Nordqvist A/S Korda/Corpuz (7)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 4UP (6)
Anything Maja Stark can do, Lexi Thompson can match. Lexi punches delicately out of the Bermuda grass to close range, and the hole is halved. Europe would have taken that when Linn Grant was taking her penalty drop. Meanwhile Cheyenne Knight misses yet another putt … and once again pays no price whatsoever! USA had two for the win at the par-three 6th, Charley Hull having missed the green to the right, and Europe are in serious trouble in the final match.
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 2UP (8)
Boutier/Hall A/S Kang/Lee (7)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 1UP (6)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 4UP (6)
While all that was going on, USA were winning holes at 7 in the second match and 5 in the last. Things can turn quickly all right … and then Megan Khang can only advance her chip from the thick greenside rough at 8 into more bother. Maja Stark splashes to two feet and now the pressure’s on Lexi Thompson. Stark is showcasing some fine street-fighting skills after a slow start, and Europe look like salvaging a half here … or maybe even snatching the hole!
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 2UP (7)
Boutier/Hall A/S Kang/Lee (7)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 1UP (6)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 3UP (5)
Updated
Maja Stark’s drive at 8 ended up under a bush, so Linn Grant is forced to take a penalty drop. She creams her third towards the green, only for the camber of the fairway to gather the ball into a greenside bunker front and left. Serious advantage USA, though Lexi Thompson keeps Europe in it by pulling her approach from the centre of the fairway towards the same bunker. The ball snags in the rough on the bank, and while America are lying two to Europe’s three, the hosts have a much easier shot coming up.
Maja Stark had made another big putt to salvage a half, this time on 7. But the struggle continues as her tee shot at 8 disappears in the direction of bother down the left of the fairway. Better news on the par-three 6th, as Anna Nordqvist drains a 25-foot birdie putt to halve the deficit in the third match. That’s a big one for Europe, and for the three-time major-winning Swede, who has been uncharacteristically shaky during these early exchanges.
… but it’s been one step forward, another back all morning for Europe. Anna Nordqvist slices wildly into bushes down the right of 5, then after taking a penalty drop, Leona Maguire clips another branch and that pretty much is that. In any case, it’s a third birdie in a row for Team USA and they now have two-hole leads in three of the matches.
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 2UP (7)
1UP Boutier/Hall v Kang/Lee (6)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 2UP (5)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 2UP (4)
Updated
… Georgia Hall clips her tee shot at 6 to five feet. Celine Boutier rolls calmly into the cup, and that’s Europe’s first birdie of the 2023 Solheim Cup! It took a while, but there’s some blue on the board again!
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 2UP (6)
1UP Boutier/Hall v Kang/Lee (6)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 1UP (4)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 2UP (4)
Updated
Danielle Kang flays her tee shot at 5 into deep bother down the right of the hole. Andrea Lee is forced to take a drop and punch back onto the fairway. Europe get on in regulation, and the hole is theirs. But back on 4, Emily Pedersen misses a birdie effort from six feet, and Europe trail by a couple of holes in the last match. Europe have yet to make a single birdie … so having just typed that …
Anna Nordqvist lips out from close range at 4, and suddenly the leaderboard is all red. But it’s not all bad news for Europe, as Maja Stark builds on her confidence boost at 5 by ramming in an eight-footer on 6 to reduce the arrears in the opening match. Stark and her partner Linn Grant celebrate the momentum-shifter with some passionate high-fives. That’s got the crowd going.
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 2UP (6)
Boutier/Hall v Kang/Lee 1UP (4)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz 1UP (4)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 1UP (3)
Three holes, three missed hole-winning putts by Cheyenne Knight. She’s not being punished, though. This one, for par at 3, drifts away on the low side from 12 feet, but Charley Hull had earlier only just escaped a greenside bunker, and so the hole is halved in bogey four.
Maja Stark has looked jittery on her Solheim Cup debut, but this will settle her nerves. A lovely approach into the par-four 5th, pin high to ten feet. Her partner Linn Grant then races an aggressive birdie putt five feet past, but Stark nails the one coming back to save the half. Meanwhile a chance goes by for Europe in the second match, as Celine Boutier creams a hybrid into the heart of the par-five green, only for Georgia Hall to whistle the eagle putt six feet past. Boutier can’t salvage the situation and that’s a careless three-putt. Another half, though that one won’t feel so good.
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 3UP (5)
Boutier/Hall v Kang/Lee 1UP (4)
Maguire/Nordqvist A/S Korda/Corpuz (3)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 1UP (2)
Having missed a short putt to win the 1st, Cheyenne Knight repeats the trick on 2, pulling a straight one wide left from six feet. She cocks her head back with a mixture of irritation and disgust. But it doesn’t matter, because Charley Hull’s short par putt horseshoes out. A careless mistake by the British Open runner-up.
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 3UP (4)
Boutier/Hall v Kang/Lee 1UP (3)
Maguire/Nordqvist A/S Korda/Corpuz (3)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight 1UP (2)
Small mercies for Europe on the par-five 4th. Lexi Thompson lets a seven-foot birdie putt slide by to the right, and the chance for the USA to go four up through four holes is gone. But trouble for Leona Maguire on 3. Europe’s star of 2021 looks nervous this time round, and flubs a chip from the thick Bermuda grass to effectively hand the hole to the USA. Match three is tied again.
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 3UP (4)
Boutier/Hall v Kang/Lee 1UP (3)
Maguire/Nordqvist A/S Korda/Corpuz (3)
Hull/Pedersen A/S Ewing/Knight (1)
Hole-winning chances from very makeable range go by for Cheyenne Knight at 1, Anna Nordqvist at 2, and Georgia Hall at 3. Pressure’s on already, folks. Pressure’s on.
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 3UP (3)
Boutier/Hall v Kang/Lee 1UP (3)
1UP Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz (2)
Hull/Pedersen A/S Ewing/Knight (1)
A reminder of the format
For the benefit of folk who fancy getting up on the downswing this weekend but don’t always follow the greatest sport in the world, we usually cut and paste the following explainer. Hey, if it’s worth reading once, it’s worth reading a dozen times. Here we go ...
The Solheim Cup is a matchplay event. Each match is worth a point. There are 28 points available over the three days, so the first team to get to 14.5 points will win the Cup. Should the scores be tied at 14 points apiece, Europe will retain the trophy as current holders.
Match-play explained for those dipping their toe into the murky world of golf for the first time: In common-or-garden championship golf, such as the ANA Inspiration or the British Open, tournaments are scored using the stroke-play system. Whoever takes the fewest shots over all four rounds in a championship wins. All shots count and are added up for a cumulative total. So if, say, in next year’s Dinah Shore (Chevron Championship-speak for hipsters), Lexi Thompson shoots 63-63-63-63 and Georgia Hall shoots 87-87-87-87, Lexi will have taken 252 strokes, and beaten Georgia by 96 shots. (Good luck if you bet large on this exact outcome.)
Anyway, in match play, each player or team wins a hole for every hole they better their opponents. So if Lexi takes five shots at the 1st, but Georgia needs only three, Georgia goes 1up. If Georgia wins the next hole too, she’s 2up. If the pair share the same number of shots on the 3rd, the hole is halved, and Georgia remains 2up. It doesn’t matter if Lexi took 13 shots on her way to losing the 2nd, by the way; a bit like the unwritten rule of visits to wallet-sewer-interface-venue Las Vegas, what happens on each hole stays on each hole. There is no knock-on effect.
So let’s say Hall wins the first nine holes of our make-believe match. With nine played, and nine remaining, she is 9up. Lexi can only tie at best; Hall can’t lose. This is known as dormie. (And more specifically, in this slightly ludicrous example, as dormie nine.) If Lexi wins the next nine, the game will end all square, and each team will get half a point to their overall total. But if Georgia wins the 10th, she’s 10up with eight holes to play. She has won 10&8. If the 10th hole is halved, Georgia would be 9up with eight to play. She’s won 9&8. Similarly Lexi can be said to have lost 9&8. Europe would add a point to their overall total. I’ve probably made this sound way more complicated than it needs to be, but there it is anyway.
There will be three types of match: foursomes (teams of two players use one ball, taking alternate shots); fourballs (teams of two players play a ball each and take the best score, known as the better ball); and singles (this is when it gets quite wild and everyone across two continents starts with the shallow breathing and chest clutching). And these matches are arranged in a schedule like this:
Today: four matches of morning foursomes; four matches of afternoon fourballs.
Tomorrow: four matches of morning foursomes; four matches of afternoon fourballs.
Sunday: 12 singles matches.
The final game in the morning foursomes takes to the tee. Cheyenne Knight and Emily Pedersen both stay dry, leaving their partners Ally Ewing and Charley Hull the task of wedging close. Meanwhile the Swedish pairing of Linn Grant and Maja Stark continue to struggle; Stark misses the green at the par-three 3rd while Lexi Thompson sends her tee shot to eight feet, and the US have flown out of the traps in this opening match! And there’s people questioning the selection of the out-of-form Lexi. Class is permanent, huh.
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 3UP (3)
Boutier/Hall v Kang/Lee 1UP (2)
1UP Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz (1)
Hull/Pedersen v Ewing/Knight
Back on 1, Allisen Corpuz, taking her first stroke of the week from the dropzone, knocks the ball pin high to 12 feet. Leona Maguire pulls Europe’s approach miles to the left of the flag, leaving Anna Nordqvist with a monster birdie putt. The Swede lags up wonderfully from downtown, enough for par. Nelly Korda can’t atone for her tee-box error, her par putt staying up on the right, and Europe hit the front in match three.
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 2UP (2)
Boutier/Hall v Kang/Lee 1UP (1)
1UP Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz (1)
Some good fortune for USA off the tee at the par-five 2nd. Megan Khang’s drive threatens to disappear into shrubbery down the right of the fairway, but it clacks into some poor member of the gallery en route. But once Lexi Thompson advances the ball down the hole, Khang makes up for it, easing a wedge to four feet. Thompson tidies up for birdie, and the States are off to a flier in match one.
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 2UP (2)
Boutier/Hall v Kang/Lee 1UP (1)
Maguire/Nordqvist v Korda/Corpuz
Danielle Kang rolls the straight birdie putt towards the hole, then wanders after it with her putter in the air. It’s there! A fast start for the USA as they take the lead in the opening two matches. But there’s better news for Europe back on the opening tee, as Nelly Korda, partnering Allisen Corpuz, pulls her tee shot into the pond. Anna Nordqvist, out with Leona Maguire this morning, reacts with the conservative play down the right. Big chance for a first splash of blue on the board here.
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 1UP (1)
Boutier/Hall v Kang/Lee 1UP (1)
Back on the 1st tee, the competitors of the second match arrive on the scene. It’s Celine Boutier and Georgia Hall, who take on Danielle Kang and Andrea Lee. Compared to what went before, Kang and Boutier play conservative opening shots, to the right of the water rather than over it. Boutier’s briefly threatens to draw a bit too much, but it stays dry. However from a downhill lie, Hall knifes the approach through the green and down a swale at the back, while Lee sends the American ball over the flag to 18 feet. Advantage USA in this one too.
Lexi Thompson’s birdie putt shaves the right-hand edge of the cup but stubbornly refuses to drop. She chews her gum in frustration … but no matter, because Maja Stark can’t take advantage by making her six footer, which is always missing on the high side, and that’s the opening hole to the USA. A slightly uncertain start by Europe, and specifically by Stark.
Grant/Stark v Thompson/Khang 1UP (1)
Updated
Linn Grant’s tee shot had in fact snagged on the bank by the side of the bunker. That’s a bad break; the sand would have been more inviting. Maja Stark’s club decelerates through the thick Bermuda grass and Europe’s ball topples apologetically into the bunker. Megan Khang demonstrates the advantage of having a good lie in the trap by splashing out to 15 feet, after which Grant pings Europe’s third shot to six feet. Advantage USA here.
Europe captain Suzann Pettersen has selected an all-Swedish pairing of Linn Grant and Maja Stark for the first match of the Friday foursomes. The two debutants bounce excitedly over the bridge to the first tee and receive a tumultuous welcome. Stacy Lewis’s opening team of Lexi Thompson and Megan Khang are no less pumped. What an atmosphere! And what a nerve-shredding opening tee shot, downhill at a short dogleg-left par-four over water. Thompson has the honour of taking the first shot of these Matches, and bravely sends her shot over the drink – there is an option to bale out on the right, but what you gonna do? – and into sand back-right of the green. Linn Grant calmly follows her. We’re off, then. Three days of drama about to unfold in front of our startled eyes. May the best team win.
Preamble
Good morning and welcome to our live hole-by-hole text coverage of the 18th edition of the Solheim Cup. After dramatic victories at Gleneagles in 2019 and Inverness Club, Ohio in 2021, the cream of European golf attempt to make it three consecutive victories for the first time in tournament history at Finca Cortesin in Spain. It’s already hopping at the first tee with the sun only just peeking up into view, and here are the pairings for the morning foursomes (Europe first, all times BST) … not long now. It’s on!
7.10 am: Linn Grant and Maja Stark v Lexi Thompson and Megan Khang
7.22 am: Celine Boutier and Georgia Hall v Danielle Kang and Andrea Lee
7.33 am: Leona Maguire and Anna Nordqvist v Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz
7.44 am: Charley Hull and Emily Kristine Pedersen v Ally Ewing and Cheyenne Knight
