Team Europe bounced back from a nightmare start to the Solheim Cup by producing a brilliant comeback in the fourballs to cut Team USA’s lead to 5-3 after the opening day in Spain.
Suzann Pettersen’s side, chasing a historic third consecutive victory, lost the opening session for the first time since 2009 after Team USA enjoyed an unexpected clean sweep in the morning foursomes to move into a 4-0 advantage at Finca Cortesin.
Madelene Sagstrom and rookie Gemma Dryburgh claimed a share of the spoils in their afternoon fourballs match against Rose Zhang and Megan Khang, while Leona Maguire chipped in on the final hole alongside Georgia Hall to snatch a dramatic 1up victory over Lexi Thompson and Lilia Vu.
Spanish star Carlota Ciganda partnered Linn Grant to a commanding 4&2 win over Angel Yin and Ally Ewing, before a stunning hole-in-one from Emily Pedersen helped her and Maja Stark to a tied match against Jennifer Kupcho and Allisen Corpuz.
Twenty three of the 24 players featured on the opening day, with Caroline Hedwall the only player to miss out, while Europe will look to take momentum from their afternoon performance into Saturday’s morning foursomes.
Rose Zhang and Megan Khang tied with Gemma Dryburgh and Madelene Sagstrom
Team USA opened with a birdie at the first and responded to Sagstrom taking advantage of the par-five fourth to win the next with a birdie, although the Swede also birdied the par-three sixth to move ahead.
Khang won the seventh and 10th to jump two clear, while Sagstrom won the 11th with a birdie and Dryburgh picked up one at the next to level the contest. Dryburgh then holed from 15 feet at the 13th to match the birdie of Khang.
Sagstrom birdied the 14th and USA won the next with a par, while Zhang poured in from 12 feet for a halve at the 16th after Dryburgh chipped in for an unlikely birdie. The teams shared the final two holes as Europe claimed their first half-point of the tournament.
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Gemma Dryburgh puts a tough front nine behind her with this sensational chip-in birdie on the 16th at the Solheim Cup
Leona Maguire and Georgia Hall beat Lexi Thompson and Lilia Vu 1up
Hall gave Europe the early advantage when she drained a 12-foot eagle and Maguire posted birdies at the sixth and 12th to match the efforts of their counterparts, before Thompson found the green at the par-four 14th and converted the eagle putt.
A par was enough for Europe to edge back ahead before Vu produced a timely birdie at the par-three 17th to level the match heading to the par-five last.
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Thompson finished just short of the green in two but then shanked a chip from the rough and was unable to hole her next effort, as Maguire chipped in for a sensational birdie and dramatic win.
“I feel like we played great all day and it would have been really annoying not to come away with a point,” Maguire said. “So Georgia kept it together on the front nine and then I had a couple on the back.”
Leona Maguire was celebrating after chipping in at the 18th
Jennifer Kupcho and Allisen Corpuz tied with Emily Pedersen and Maja Stark
Kupcho drew first blood by birdieing the par-five second but Stark levelled with a par at the seventh, with America also birdieing the ninth to reach the turn one ahead.
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After Pedersen hit only the second-ever hole-in-one in Solheim Cup history, take a look at Anna Nordqvist’s ace in 2013 and judge which was better for yourself!
Pedersen’s stunning ace at the par-three 12th was cancelled out by a Kupcho birdie at the next, before Stark fired an amazing approach into the par-four 16th to set up a conceded birdie and level the contest.
The ding-dong contest continued at the par-three 17th when Corpuz fired her approach to tap-in range to match Pedersen’s birdie, before the US Women’s Open champion rolled in a final-hole birdie to maintain her unbeaten Solheim Cup debut and halve the match.
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Pedersen and Allisen Corpuz go head-to-head on the 17th with a pair of sensational tee shots
Carlota Ciganda and Linn Grant beat Angel Yin and Ally Ewing 4&2
Home favourite Ciganda made the dream start with an eight-foot birdie at the first and won another hole at the fourth after going closer with her eagle try, before Yin clawed a hole back with a close-range birdie at the sixth.
Grant made a birdie at the 11th and Ciganda poured in a birdie at the 14th to give Europe a three-hole advantage with four to play, with the European pair then sealing victory on the 16th hole.
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