- Europe needs a record comeback after losing 6-2 to Team USA
- England’s Charley Hull and Georgia Hall were among those defeated on Friday
If Europe is to retain the Solheim Cup for a fourth consecutive time, it will need a historic comeback. Trailing 6-2 to the United States on the opening day in Virginia, they are in serious danger of suffering their first defeat since 2017.
Much like last year’s drawn match in Spain, Suzann Pettersen’s team was steamrolled in the morning foursomes, but the key difference is that the thrashing continued through the afternoon and evening in the fourballs at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.
With 3-1 defeats in each session, the deficit the Europeans now face is larger than any previously seen at this stage of the competition.
It was a particularly tough day for England’s Charley Hull, who lost 3&2 on the alternate shot alongside Esther Henseleit against world number one Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz before her partnership with Linn Grant was dismantled 5&4 by American phenom Rose Zhang and Andrea Lee. With Hull catching the eye for her impressive form this year, Europe’s chances may have written themselves.
European vice-captain Mel Reid said: ‘Emotions are high at the moment, there’s a lot of disappointment but the spirits are not down. We’ve come up against a strong team who have given everything they can. They can’t do that all week but it will be a great achievement to come back. We’re ready to do it, we’ve done it before and we believe we can.
Europe needs a record comeback after losing 6-2 to the United States in the Solheim Cup (Charley Hull pictured)
England’s Georgia Hall was crushed alongside Leona Maguire in the fourball
“There were times, especially in the afternoon, where we were too independent instead of being more of a team. There were also a couple of absurd decisions regarding clubs, which made things a little easier for the Americans. Now we have to give our best.”
U.S. captain Stacy Lewis said: “Everything went as we expected. We played some good golf and got a lot of points.”
The morning foursomes were poor for Europe, softened only by the fact that they were not as bad as the 4-0 thrashing suffered in the same session in Spain last year.
This time, Denmark’s Emily Pedersen and Sweden’s Maja Stark managed to secure a single point on the 18th, albeit after capitulating after a four-hole to five lead against Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho.
By then, Europe had already lost 3 and 2 in each of the other three matches. As in the defeat of Hull and Henseleit, Pettersen’s pairings (Céline Boutier and Albane Valenzuela and Carlota Ciganda with Grant) were crushed on the back nine.
Team USA is on track for its first win since 2017 after the first day of play.
England’s Georgia Hall was called up for the fourballs but was crushed by Korda and Megan Khang alongside Leona Maguire. Korda, a six-time winner on the Tour this year, had never been on the winning side in the previous three Cups but that is changing: she was exceptional on the first day with her putter and her approaches against America’s chief cheerleader, former President Barack Obama.
Pedersen and Stark were defeated by rookie pair Lauren Coughlin and Sarah Schmelzel in fourballs, and the only European point came from Anna Nordqvist and Madelene Sagstrom, who beat Lexi Thompson and Alison Lee 6 and 5.
