Key events
The second match pits Emily Pedersen against Megan Khang. The Dane sends her tee shot into the first cut down the left. It’s a popular spot, with a big bunker on the other side of the fairway, some players unable to carry it. Khang knocks hers carefully down the track. Up at the green, Charley Hull splashes out from the sand to a couple of feet, and the putt is conceded. Korda, who has caught a good lie in the rough, chips up to three feet. That one’s not conceded, but Korda tidies up without fuss. She walks off with a spring in her step, full in the knowledge that she got away with a couple of loose shots there.
Hull A/S Korda (1)
Pedersen v Khang
Back to Virginia, where Charley Hull doesn’t crank up the pressure on Nelly Korda. She pushes her approach into a greenside bunker. Korda, in the trees, has lucked out with a route through, and once a cherry picker with a camera on it is moved out of the way, she’s able to punch through and up towards the green. But if anything, she hits it too cleanly, and the ball sails through and off the right-hand side. It hits a punter; had it not, it would have sailed into more tree-based trouble. A couple of lucky breaks for Korda there, who is back in the hole.
Not getting too far ahead of ourselves, but the date for the next Solheim Cup was announced earlier today. It’ll take place on 7-13 September 2026 at Bernardus Golf in Cromvoirt, close to Eindhoven and ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands.
“Let’s go Charley, let’s go!” The European fans in fine voice, doing their damndest against the U-S-A tumult. And Hull does indeed go, sending the first shot of the day into the rough down the left of the fairway. Good enough. But the world number one Nelly Korda looks anxiously after her tee shot … and my goodness but it’s wild. Miles to the left, into the trees, and ballooning off a cart path. That’s sailed a long way left. No idea if she’s got a route into the green yet. That’s a nervy one.
A reminder of where we are, after two engrossing days at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia. The USA needs four-and-a-half points to win the Solheim Cup. Europe require eight points if they’re to retain possession of it, eight-and-a-half if they’re to win it outright.
Here we go, then, buckle up … and here comes the world number one Nelly Korda, skipping and bounding out of the tunnel to rapturous roars rolling down from the grandstands surrounding the first tee. Presumably the shuttle buses are more frequent today because the stands are rammed and the place is jumping. What an atmosphere! Charley Hull – and what a match-up this is, by the way – is much more cool and measured as she walks out with a look of steely determination. This is going to be something else. Or maybe an anti-climactic procession, but right here, right now, all things are possible. Beyond excited? Us too!
Preamble
“Medinah. The miracle of Medinah. It’s coming!” The words there of Carlota Ciganda as she closed out her and Emily Pedersen’s 2&1 win over Lexi Thompson and Ally Ewing yesterday evening. Well, as far as Europe are concerned, it better be. What a tall order. But at least the omens are good, because Europe were 10-4 down in the 2012 Ryder Cup on Saturday afternoon with two matches left out on the course, and reduced the arrears to 10-6 ahead of the Sunday singles, which is exactly what the Europeans did yesterday when things were threatening to go seriously south at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia. So let’s remember what happened after that Ryder Cup comeback 12 years ago …
… but while Ciganda brought that one up, it’d be a shocking dereliction of duty not to point out that the Solheim Cup has one of these Sunday stunners of its own. In 2015, at St Leon-Rot in Germany, Europe held a 10-6 lead going into the singles, only to capitulate to an 8½-3½ defeat and a 14½-13½ loss overall.
Europe’s pain that day is obviously why Ciganda preferred to reference Medinah, but there are also a couple of other reasons why St Leon-Rot is not exactly analogous. The USA needed an extra half-point to win back the trophy that year (as holders, Europe only need eight to retain it this time), and it all happened in the heightened wake of the awful rules brouhaha involving Suzann Pettersen the night before. So … OK, I’ll fess up, I’m not exactly sure what point I’m making here … but you can look at Medinah and St Leon-Rot at different wonky angles through a smudged prism and argue that history either gives Europe hope, or simply shows the USA – this time fuelled by stopping their opponents from becoming the first side to lift the cup four times in a row, rather than the injustice of a technical imbroglio – will easily walk this home. QED? Nope! Nah! But the USA are obviously strong favourites.
Here are the tee times. It might be a procession. It might be a comeback for the ages. Either way, a fantastic team of world-class talent will lift the Solheim Cup when it all comes down. God speed, everyone, and may the best women win. It’s on!
1.50pm BST: Charley Hull v Nelly Korda
2pm BST: Emily Pedersen v Megan Khang
2.10pm BST: Georgia Hall v Alison Lee
2.20pm BST: Anna Nordqvist v Allisen Corpuz
2.30pm BST: Carlota Ciganta v Rose Zhang
2.40pm BST: Esther Henseleit v Andrea Lee
2.50pm BST: Celine Boutier v Lexi Thompson
3pm BST: Maja Stark v Lauren Coughlin
3.10pm BST: Albane Valenzuela v Lilia Vu
3.20pm BST: Madelene Sagstrom v Sarah Schmelzel
3.30pm BST: Leona Maguire v Ally Ewing
3.40pm BST: Linn Grant v Jennifer Kupcho