Solheim Cup: Europe one point ahead after USA stage late rally at Gleneagles
As Team USA staged a late rally with 2 matches halved on the hole europe finished an opening afternoon of the Solheim Cup having a guide.
Juli Inkster and captains Catriona Matthew ensured that 12 of their players watched some action under bright skies at Gleneagles, along with the two teams generated a mixed-bag of golf with Europe’s higher consistency demonstrating the difference.
One point ahead following the afternoon foursomes, Europe prevented a repeat of their opening-day fourballs whitewash in Ohio two years back and looked on course to open a three-point edge when they led in two games going the 18th up.
But a last-ditch birdie out of Lexi Thompson refused Bronte Law and Carlota Ciganda, who’d been two down to play in a game where the lead changed hands seven times, while Charley Hull and also Azahara Munoz frittered away a four-hole guide with six to play also had to settle for a half when Brittany Altomare holed a 20-foot putt for birdie at the last.
Suzann Pettersen went quite a long way to justifying her wildcard choice when she combined well with Dutch rookie Anne van Dam, whose three birdies in four holes set them on course for a comfortable 4&2 win on the feisty Danielle Kang and Lizette Salas, even though the dilemma of slow play was again raised as it took them more than five hours to play 16 holes.
But Caroline Hedwall and Swedish stalwarts Anna Nordqvist made just 1 birdie as they were outplayed by Ally McDonald and Angel Yin, who cruised into a 7.
Law and Ciganda followed their morning half-point using a valiant come-from-behind performance against Thompson and Jessica Korda, the European pair making three straight birdies to flip into a two-hole deficit to a one-up lead moving up the last, but the house pair were not able to fit Thompson’s birdie four.
And, with mild fading Hull and Munoz were denied a 100 per cent record on afternoon when Nelly Korda and Altomare birdied the final three holes to grab another priceless half to the team of Inkster.
The Korda sisters had earlier established history as the first siblings to play with each other from the competition, and they produced an outstanding operation to conquer Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Caroline Masson 4 & 6 in match , but that proved the lone win for the holders since Europe headed into the afternoon fourballs with a 2.5-1.5 edge.
Law’s first taste of Solheim Cup activity resulted in a fighting half of Ciganda at the top game against Morgan Pressel and Marina Alex, until Georgia Hall and Celine Boutier place the very first gloomy on the board using a 2&1 win over Thompson and Altomare – Thompson’s first defeat at the event since 2013.
Munoz and hull piled off an morning for Matthew’s team using a hard-fought 2 & 1 victory on Annie Park and also Megan Kang even though the European pair made just 1 birdie.
Matthew did spring a surprise for her afternoon line-up when she rested Hall and assured that all 12 of her gamers could see some action on the first evening, while Inkster also selected the four players who sat out the foursomes, although she also separated the jubilant Korda sisters.
But Inkster would have been the more happy captain since the day’s action finally ended with their two halved matches preventing an enormous lead for Matthew’s squad heading into day .