Solheim Cup 2023: Europe v USA, day one – live | Solheim Cup

These matches should finish tonight. They should. Sunset in Casares is at 8.19pm local time, so there’s nearly a couple of hours daylight. Fingers crossed. Don’t leave us hanging here, Carlota.

Linn Grant makes her birdie at 12, much as expected after nearly making that hole in one. But Ally Ewing had done her level best to ace as well, and though her tee shot stops three feet from the flag, miles away in this daft context, she’s making her birdie with ease as well. Meanwhile Gemma Dryburgh and Madeline Sagstrom take turns to miss short par putts on 15, and their freshly found lead is given up in short order.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (15)
Maguire/Hall A/S Thompson/Vu (14)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (13)
2UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (12)
Europe 0-4 USA

Jennifer Kupcho walks in a 12-footer for birdie at 13. That’s a proper matchplay blow that takes a little bit of wind out of Emily Pedersen’s sail. High on life after the ace, and with half the distance to cover to the hole, she pushes her birdie effort wide right, and what threatened to become a European lead in their match – and a complete scoreboard sweep of blue – is now an American one. And there’s more good news for the USA at 14, where Lexi Thompson rolls in her eagle putt to tie up the second game. In the blink of an eye, what looked an extremely promising situation for Europe has been reined in somewhat. The Solheim Cup, ladies and gentlemen, right here!

1UP Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang (14)
Maguire/Hall A/S Thompson/Vu (14)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (13)
2UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (11)
Europe 0-4 USA

This action is genuinely outrageous! Linn Grant very nearly replicates Emily Pedersen’s ace at 12, bounce for bounce, roll for roll! Her ball stops at kick-in distance, it’ll be a birdie for sure. And that’s coming straight off the back of Grant’s birdie on 11, an effort that doubled Europe’s lead in the last match to two holes. The Solheim Cup, ladies and gentlemen, right here!

Anything Madeline Sagstrom can nearly do, Lexi Thompson can nearly do as well. She creams her drive at 14 onto the bank to the side of the green, and while her ball doesn’t threaten the hole, the rougher surface cushions some of its speed and allows it to stay on the back of the green. She’ll have a great look at eagle, and a chance to wipe some of the blue off the scoreboard.

Well, that’s leavened the European mood all right! And it’s getting better and better, because Madeline Sagstrom, whose near-albatross drive whistled over the back of the 14th, gets up and down for birdie. For the first time in the lead match, Europe lead!

1UP Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang (14)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (13)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (12)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (10)
Europe 0-4 USA

Hole-in-one for Emily Pedersen!

The ever-entertaining Madeline Sagstrom nearly aced the par-three 6th. Now she nearly makes a hole-in-one on the 353-yard par-four 14th! Her booming drive races through the green and isn’t too far away from shaving the left lip at all. But the golfing gods decree there’s to be no albatross-infused fun today. What a drive, though. Bucket hats off!

Emily Pedersen finds a penalty area with her tee shot at 11. No matter! She drops, then whips a fairway wood to 12 inches or so! What a par that is! Jennifer Kupcho takes two putts to halve the hole.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (13)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (12)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (11)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (10)
Europe 0-4 USA

Back-to-back birdies for Gemma Dryburgh! She celebrates in the grand style, having holed out from 25 feet … but the dream of a third hole in a row is snuffed out by Rose Zhang, who rolls a staunch 12-foot birdie putt into the cup to keep her team level. That’s a huge putt to halt Europe’s momentum.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (13)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (12)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (10)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (9)
Europe 0-4 USA

A couple of stunning tee shots at the par-three 12th. Leona Maguire sends a gentle fade into the green, her ball ending up eight feet behind the flag. Lexi Thompson sees that and raises her, using the camber to the left of the green to bounce her ball back across to four feet. Maguire is quickly on point to ram home her birdie putt, putting the pressure back on Lexi, who is forced to step back from her putt because of the high wind. But she resets herself and rolls in the birdie effort. A proper matchplay trading of blows there. Superb golf, right out of the top drawer!

A short-range putting competition on 10. Allisen Corpuz makes a six footer for par, turning up the heat on Emily Pedersen, who has a putt from similar range. She knocks it into the centre of the cup, Lilia Vu style, and the spoils are shared. Meanwhile up on 12, Megan Khang tickles in a 15-footer for par … but it’s all in vain for the Americans because Gemma Dryburgh had stuck her tee shot to four feet, and she calmly makes the birdie putt to level the lead match! Europe are doing their level best to repair some of the damage caused by this morning’s rout.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (12)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (11)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (10)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (8)
Europe 0-4 USA

Yes, it’s slow. But it’s genuinely fascinating as well. As things stand, the USA could whitewash Europe today, unprecedented behaviour, or Europe could level the match, or the day one result could be anything in between. It’s all in the balance, and all perfectly possible. The tough conditions are or aren’t helping, depending on which way you look at it. But things are going to hot up sooner or later.

Madeline Sagstrom wins the 11th hole with bogey. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s always life-affirming to see the greatest players in the world struggle like mere mortals / weekend hackers / Dustin Johnson on major-championship Sundays circa 2010-15.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (11)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (10)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (9)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (8)
Europe 0-4 USA

Has Georgia Hall’s confidence really been shaken by those three weak chips on 9? Not at all. She rolls in a 12-foot par putt from the fringe at 10 to salvage par and a half, after Lexi Thompson wasn’t able to tickle in her birdie putt. Meanwhile back on 9, birdie for Jennifer Kupcho that hauls the USA back on terms in today’s penultimate match.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 2UP (10)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (10)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (9)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (8)
Europe 0-4 USA

Advantage Lexi on the par-three 10th. She’s pin high, and the only player to find the dancefloor. Meanwhile the wind continues to lash around Andalusia, and all four players in the lead group are out of position on 11. In fact both Gemma Dryburgh and Rose Zhang have had to take penalty drops. More on the mayhem when we have it.

Leona Maguire misses a reasonably straight (for this course) birdie putt to win 9. Not the greatest hole in terms of a confidence booster for Europe, given Georgia Hall had, from the centre of the fairway, sent her wedge down a swale to the left, then failed to get her ball up the slope in two attempts. But the pair are still leading Lexi Thompson and Lilia Vu by a hole as they hit the turn.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 2UP (10)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (9)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (8)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (7)
Europe 0-4 USA

Megan Khang creams her tee shot at the dramatic downhill par-three 10th to three feet. Gemma Dryburgh finds a deep bunker to the right of the green, and she’s shortsided, but whips out immaculately to three feet. But she prods with great uncertainty at the short par putt, which turns off to the left, and there’s no need to make Khang convert her birdie chance. The US double their lead.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 2UP (10)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (8)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (7)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (7)
Europe 0-4 USA

Georgia Hall has made the only birdie in the second match so far, back on 4. She nearly makes the second, at 7, but her 15-footer lips out. That allows the new British Open champion Lilia Vu to roll in a ten-footer to halve the hole. A big chance to build a cushioned lead goes by. Vu popped that one right into the middle of the cup, incidentally, the sort of thing she did with astonishing regularity on the final day at Walton Heath last month. No messing. If you needed to choose one player to make the putt that’d save your life, it’d surely be Vu.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (9)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (8)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (7)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (6)
Europe 0-4 USA

An 18-inch par putt at 7 for Maja Stark. In it goes, and she celebrates winning the hole in the theatrical style. I wonder whether she’s a bit piqued at having been asked to make such a tiddler? Maybe I’m reading too much into it. She’s certainly not stomping around with an affronted face on in the style of, say, Lee Westwood in Ryder Cups past, so perhaps I am. Still, perhaps this Solheim Cup is developing a little edge? Hey, it’s been known.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (9)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (7)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (7)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (6)
Europe 0-4 USA

Angel Yin follows Madeline Sagstrom in nearly slam-dunking her tee shot at 6. Instead she tidies up for a birdie to win the hole. She has to wait some time to do it, mind, as Carlota Ciganda and Linn Grant take their sweet time between them to post a par. All’s fair in love and war, but Yin fair slammed in her short putt, perhaps betraying a little bit of impatience, a reaction any weekend hacker who has been made to wait for some slow bugger to go through their interminable putting routine will doubtless understand. Anyway, Europe’s lead in the match is cut by half and their fans in the gallery have fallen noticeably quieter as a result.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (8)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (7)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (6)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (6)
Europe 0-4 USA

One of the stranger two-putt pars you’ll ever see by Georgia Hall on 7. She races a downhill birdie effort 15 feet past the cup, then pours the one coming back straight into the middle. It’s some way to halve the hole. Meanwhile both Gemma Dryburgh and Madeline Sagstrom take a shy at very makeable birdie efforts on 8, but neither manage to win the hole. Sagstrom particularly disappointed having been on the par-five green in two.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (8)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (7)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (6)
2UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (5)
Europe 0-4 USA

Angel Yin and Ally Ewing are always out of position going down 5. But they stay within touching distance in the match thanks to Ewing’s steering in of a right-to-left 12-footer for par. Had that missed, Carlota Ciganda and Linn Grant would have been three up. They’re still sitting nicely two holes to the good, the best nick any European team has been in today.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (7)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (6)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (6)
2UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (5)
Europe 0-4 USA

It’s pretty windy now at Finca Cortesin. That might be giving the players a little more pause for thought. Literally. Flagsticks whipping. Shrubbery oscillating. Everyone in the opening group hitting stingers under the wind on the par-five 8th. That sort of thing. Action at a premium.

A putting competition at 6. Four attempts at making par. Lexi Thompson and Georgia Hall miss; Lilia Vu makes hers, asking the question of Leona Maguire, who has the answer. Europe keep hold of the lead in the second match … but the USA take possession of it in the lead match, Megan Khang curling in a perfectly-paced left-to-right 20-footer and celebrating with her partner Rose Zhang, the pair throwing some of those shapes the kids entertain themselves with these days.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (7)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (6)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (5)
2UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (4)
Europe 0-4 USA

The pace of play here is glacial. Carlota Ciganda has copped her fair share of flak for dragging her feet this season, but whatever works for her. Birdie at 4 – she wasn’t too far away from steering in an eagle putt – and the Spanish hero puts Europe two up in the final match.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (6)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (5)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (4)
2UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (4)
Europe 0-4 USA

Madelene Sagstrom – doing her bit in bringing the Maurice Flitcroft bucket hat back into fashion – tidies up for her birdie and ties the opening match. She waves her arms in the air to get the crowd going. They were stunned into near-silence this morning, but Europe are doing their best to keep them interested. This can’t be described as a European comeback quite yet, but it’s not nothing either.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (6)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (5)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (4)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (3)
Europe 0-4 USA

One more big bounce, and Madelene Sagstrom would have been celebrating only the second hole-in-one in Solheim Cup history right now. She sends an arrow straight at the flag at the par-three 6th, the ball stopping a couple of feet short. If that. For the record, Anna Nordqvist made the aforementioned ace, on the 17th at Colorado GC in 2013.

Eagle for Georgia Hall at the par-five 4th! Pin high in two, a 15-foot putt lasered into the cup. Absolutely no reaction from the 2018 British Open champion, who looks like she means business. A second birdie of the afternoon for the debutant Rose Zhang, meanwhile, this time at 5 to regain the lead for the US in the lead match in short order.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (5)
1UP Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu (4)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1UP (3)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (2)
Europe 0-4 USA

Angel Yin’s approach into 2 isn’t all that. No matter! She rakes in a spectacular 40-foot birdie putt. But it’s all for nought as Carlota Ciganda makes a 15-footer of her own to half the hole. That’s a birdie-birdie start for Ciganda as she begins her Solheim Cup campaign on home soil.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (4)
Maguire/Hall A/S Thompson/Vu (3)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1 UP (3)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (2)
Europe 0-4 USA

… but the news from 2 is less welcome for Europe. Jennifer Kupcho pours a 20-foot birdie effort straight into the cup, and the erstwhile Augusta National champion ensures some red remains on the scoreboard. It’s nip and tuck so far this afternoon.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom A/S Zhang/Khang (4)
Maguire/Hall A/S Thompson/Vu (3)
Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz 1 UP (2)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (1)
Europe 0-4 USA

A drippy nightmare for debutant Gemma Dryburgh on 5. Her approach plonks into the water down the left of the hole. She drops and chips up towards the green, but her club snags in the thick Bermuda grass and there’s no oomph behind it. The ball drops apologetically by the side of the water she’s just visited, takes one kick left, and goes for another swim. Oh dear. Dryburgh has the good grace to smile, nominative determinism having been no bloody help whatsoever. And it doesn’t matter anyway, as her partner Madelene Sagstrom makes birdie to win the hole!

The home hero Carlota Ciganda delivers immediately! She teases a delicious chip down from a high position to the right of the 1st green to four feet. That follows Ally Ewing’s not-particularly-close wedge in from the fairway. Ewing can’t make the 12-footer she’s left herself, and Ciganda makes no mistake with her short putt to put a much-needed dash of blue on the board. That’s got the crowd going. Y Viva España! as the earlier bedlam had it.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (3)
Maguire/Hall A/S Thompson/Vu (2)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (1)
1UP Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing (1)
Europe 0-4 USA

Suzann Pettersen makes a promise to Sky Sports. “We get knocked down, we stand back up and go out there again … it ain’t over yet.” Meanwhile on 2, Georgia Hall and Lilia Vu take turns to narrowly miss birdie putts. Hole tied.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (3)
Maguire/Hall A/S Thompson/Vu (2)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (1)
Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing
Europe 0-4 USA

Thanks Dave. Now then. Here’s Angel Yin … and she suffers a huge rush of blood to the head, pulling a monster drive over the punters to the left of the green and into the trees way behind. Well, that’s unprecedented. Ally Ewing lays up as a result. Then Linn Grant only just finds the green with her drive, but the ball topples back into the drink. Finally Carlota Ciganda hoicks long and wild, into the gallery back-right of the green. A random selection, and it’s advantage to the one player who played it safe with an iron.

And with ‘Viva Espana’ ringing out on the 1st tee, it’s time for Carlota Ciganda. And, just as significantly, Scott Murray is back to guide you through the afternoon action. Take it away Scott…

Stark eyes up her eagle try at the 1st as some more generic party music blares away loudly back on the tee. It’s around 35 feet away and she cosies it up to three-and-a-half feet. That won’t be conceded though. Corpuz can’t make a difficult birdie putt from just off the green so it’s now Kupcho for the win. Oof, it’s a bit heavy-handed and that’s a niggly one back. Pedersen and Corpuz both miss par putts – both were more for putting practice – but now the real battle: the birdie tries for Stark and Kupcho. From almost identical distance, Stark holes first and the American follows her in. All square.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (2)
Maguire/Hall A/S Thompson/Vu (1)
Pedersen/Stark A/S Kupcho/Corpuz (1)
1.25 pm: Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing

American rhyming duo Zhang and Khang remain 1up at the par-5 2nd after the hole is halved. Khang had a chance from about 18 feet to win it but couldn’t convert her birdie.

Europe switch tactics in the third match as Maja Stark, the first to hit, goes for the green at the par-4 1st… and finds it! There’s already a ball on there (a similar distance away), courtesy of Jennifer Kupcho after Allisen Corpuz laid up. For Europe, it’ll be down to Stark, though, as Emily Kristine Pedersen tugs her drive into the wet stuff.

No move by Europe in the second match as it’s halved in par. Vu’s lengthy lag putt is excellent and stops a few inches away for a gimme. Thompson and Hall don’t threaten the hole, leaving Maguire with a 15-footer for the win. It’s close but not close enough and it’s par v par. On they go to the next.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (1)
Maguire/Hall A/S Thompson/Vu (1)
1.10 pm: Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz
1.25 pm: Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing

An unexpected chance for Europe to win the 1st hole in the second match. Maguire wedges to about 15 feet while Hall’s chip from gnarly rough balloons high, settles quickly and finishes 40 or so feet from the pin. But, in response, Thompson duffs her chip in ungainly, giving it some body English fashion and doesn’t make the green. Vu makes a meal of her bunker shot and it only just holds the green.

In the second match, Lexi Thompson finds the short grass right of the green, freeing up Lilia Vu to take aim at the flag. She finds the front bunker. It’s a similar strategy for Europe, Leona Maguire laying up first and Georgia Hall pulling out the big chief. Hall’s drive clears the water but whips left of the putting surface. No balls on the green but four chances of up and downs for birdie.

Zhang and Kang can’t convert their eagle putts but a US birdie is conceded. Now, over to Europe. Dryburgh overreads her putt (a theme, it seems) while Sagstrom’s birdie try lips out. Ouch, the worst start possible for the hosts and we have red on the board already.

Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang 1UP (1)
12.55 pm: Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu
1.10 pm: Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz
1.25 pm: Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing

Obviously, there will be less opportunity for holes to be won when both sides have two balls in play. Dryburgh wedges fairly close but her ball spins back to about 15 feet away. Watched by Ryder Cup star Ludvig Aberg, Sagstrom knocks her bunker short about eight feet past so a couple of chances to repel what looks an inevitable American birdie.

There’s a statement from the Americans. Zhang and Kang both go for the green at the short par-4 opening hole and find it! Dryburgh lays up while Sagstrom, looking cool in a bucket hat, finds the back bunker. Advantage USA there.

A good ‘clutching at straws’ omen… Europe won the afternoon fourballs 4-0 on day two in 2013. So you never know!

Righty, the players have been fed and watered and we’re ready for the afternoon fourballs. A reminder of the matches:

12.40 pm: Dryburgh/Sagstrom v Zhang/Khang
12.55 pm: Maguire/Hall v Thompson/Vu
1.10 pm: Pedersen/Stark v Kupcho/Corpuz
1.25 pm: Ciganda/Grant v Yin/Ewing

The Americans look very loose, dancing along to something I can’t quite hear but I’ll go with naff Europop.