Key events
The anchor match is out and about. Anna Nordqvist tees off and immediately looks at her partner with concern. Where did that ball go? She lost it in the sun. No worries, it’s straight down the middle. Nordqvist was serenaded with a chorus of “We love you Anna, we do, oh Anna we love you!” but that’s nothing compared to the mighty roars ringing in Lilia Vu’s ears as she splits the fairway. It’s all happening, then!
Lexi Thompson and Maja Stark take turns to send average approaches into 1. Thompson on the fringe front right, from where Lauren Coughlin will give Georgia Hall a read, because Europe’s ball is in the road, ten feet further up.
The third match takes to the first tee, and there’s a particularly rousing ovation for Lexi Thompson, playing in her last Solheim Cup. Georgia Hall hits a decent drive down the left but the ball scampers into the thicker rough. Lauren Coughlin splits the fairway. Up around the green, Esther Henseleit splashes out of the bunker to six feet, but Charley Hull pulls her par putt and the hole goes to the USA. Better news for Europe on 2, where Emily Pedersen converts the birdie chance set up for her by Carlota Ciganda, and the visitors hit the front in the lead match.
Corpuz/Korda v Ciganda/Pedersen 1UP (2)
1UP Ewing/Kupcho v Henseleit/Hull (1)
Coughlin/Thompson v Hall/Stark
In the lead match, both teams are out of position down the right of the 2nd hole. Allisen Corpuz does well to find the front portion of the green, though that’ll leave Nelly Korda a long putt; Carlota Ciganda punches a low one over a hillock and rolls up to ten feet. She knew that was good, twirling the club and skipping up the bank to take a look at the result of her work. Advantage Europe in the upcoming putting contest.
Charley Hull catches her first shot of the day, from the fairway bunker down the right of 1, a bit thin. It squirts into the greenside bunker front right. Jennifer Kupcho, who was flinging darts at the flag on the back nine yesterday morning, sends her approach into the middle of the green. Another look at birdie for the USA from 30 feet.
The second match turns up for work. Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho bounce into view, high on life despite being the only US foursomes match to lose yesterday morning. A chance to right that wrong against Esther Henseleit and Charley Hull. Plenty of red USA foam fingers waggling around in the stand. Respectful silence as Henseleit finds the same bunker Carlota Ciganda found; bedlam as Ally Ewing finds the same left-hand side of the fairway Allison Corpuz did. Away they go. Meanwhile up on the green, neither Corpuz nor Ciganda get particularly close with their birdie attempts, but the teams agree to pick up the coins and move on. Nice and friendly, though you won’t expect similar three-footers to be conceded if this goes up 18.
Corpuz/Korda A/S Ciganda/Pedersen (1)
Ewing/Kupcho v Henseleit/Hull
Nelly Korda up first. She safely finds the centre of the green, pin high from 200 yards with a hybrid. The putt will be from around 30 feet, but a half-decent birdie chance nonetheless. Emily Pedersen has to respond, and does so by sending Europe’s second over the flag. The ball rolls apologetically into the fringe, but doesn’t topple down the bank; that would have been a cruel outcome for such a fine shot. Europe are left with a birdie putt of about 20 feet. The first putting contest of the day coming right up!
Carlota Ciganda takes the opening shot of the second day … and sends Europe’s ball into the big bunker down the right of the fairway. That’s not ideal, but neither is it the worst place to be. Allisen Corpuz, to wild cheers orchestrated by her parter Nelly Korda, larrups confidently down the fairway. Another magnificent atmosphere in the grandstands, which this morning look a lot fuller than early doors yesterday, the shuttle buses hopefully running on time now.
Good morning Virginia! The lead match takes to the first tee, and when Europe emerge from the tunnel, Emily Pedersen bows and scrapes theatrically in front of Carlota Ciganda. The Spaniard, last year’s hero, is the beating heart of Team Europe in the time-honoured Seve / Sergio / Ian Poulter style, so no wonder Suzann Pettersen has sent her out in the first match, in the hope of setting a tone that will spark a comeback. There’s also the small matter of Ciganda’s notoriously glacial speed of play – she was put on the clock at one point yesterday – and the fact that her sort of methodical style gets right under Nelly Korda’s skin. Korda loves to get on with it; will this disrupt her flow? The world number one won her matches 3&2 and 6&4 yesterday, so I guess Pettersen had to try something. Let’s see how this pans out, then!
Preamble: USA 6-2 Europe
Stacy Lewis’s USA team have established a record first-day lead; Suzann Pettersen’s Europeans need to respond quicksmart. The 2024 Solheim Cup won’t be over if Europe fail to make headway in this morning’s foursomes … but it’ll nearly be over. Big four matches coming up.
12.05pm BST: Allisen Corpuz / Nelly Korda v Emily Pedersen / Carlota Ciganda
12.17pm BST: Ally Ewing / Jennifer Kupcho v Esther Henseleit / Charley Hull
12.29pm BST: Lexi Thompson / Lauren Coughlin v Maja Stark / Georgia Hall
12.41pm BST: Lilia Vu / Sarah Schmelzel v Anna Nordqvist / Celine Boutier
