DAY 1 ENDS ALL SQUARE AFTER HISTORIC SOLHEIM CUP START

The opening day of the Solheim Cup produced a first in the competition’s history, with both of Friday’s sessions ending level as Europe and the United States closed Day 1 tied at 4-4.

With the final match of the day reaching the 18th hole, Carlota Ciganda holed a crucial 12-foot par putt to secure a tie alongside Julia Lopez Ramirez against Nelly Korda and Lauren Coughlin. It marked the first time since 2002 that the opening day of the Solheim Cup had ended all square.

Alison Lee was the only player to claim two points for the U.S. Team at Bernardus Golf, partnering Lauren Coughlin in the morning before teaming up with Megan Khang in the afternoon. On both occasions, Lee’s side defeated the European pairing of Celine Boutier and Nanna Koerstz Madsen.

Foursomes: records continue to fall

The morning foursomes finished tied, only the third time in the last 20 Solheim Cups that the teams have been level after the opening session. The previous occasions came in 2011 and 2015.

Leona Maguire’s 2&1 victory improved her Solheim Cup record to 9-3-1, giving her a career winning percentage of .731 — the highest of any European player in Solheim Cup history among those with at least five matches.

Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz also extended their remarkable record as a partnership. Their morning victory made them the first pair in Solheim Cup history to win five consecutive matches together. Their five points match the all-time record for a partnership, set by Laura Davies and Alison Nicholas.

Four-ball: late drama keeps Europe level

Captain Anna Nordqvist showed her confidence in Charley Hull and Lottie Woad and in Celine Boutier and Nanna Koerstz Madsen by selecting both pairings again for the afternoon, despite each team having lost in the morning. It was only the 10th and 11th time in Solheim Cup history that a captain had sent out a pairing again after a morning defeat; those teams now hold a 6-3-0 record in the afternoon.

The U.S. Team made the most of the closing stretch, recording three come-from-behind victories during the four-ball session. Europe had one such win, with Mimi Rhodes and Nastasia Nadaud recovering from one down through six holes to defeat Allisen Corpuz and Auston Kim.

Europe held the advantage on the opening nine holes, winning 21 holes to the U.S. Team’s 17, while the Americans had the better of the back nine, winning 19 holes to Europe’s 13. In the end, Ciganda’s clutch par save ensured neither side could separate itself on a day that had everything the Solheim Cup promises: momentum swings, record-breaking partnerships and drama right to the final putt.

Speaking after the day’s play, U.S. Team Captain Angela Stanford said: “I just told ’em that I was proud of ’em again. We took a big swing from ’em today. When you send Charley and Lottie out first, both sessions, you know, we took some of their best body blows today.

“So I just told ’em I was proud of ’em and they hung in there, and I’m excited about tomorrow because I feel like we’re a heavyweight fighter. We fight with our mentality and we’re just going to see how long we can last, and I feel pretty good about how long we can go.”

Team Europe captain Anna Nordqvist said: “I just told ’em that I was proud of ’em again. We took a big swing from ’em today. When you send Charley and Lottie out first, both sessions, you know, we took some of their best body blows today. So I just told ’em I was proud of ’em and they hung in there, and I’m excited about tomorrow because I feel like we’re a heavyweight fighter. We fight with our mentality and we’re just going to see how long we can last, and I feel pretty good about how long we can go.”

FULL RESULTS