Europe and the USA shared both sessions on an absorbing opening day at Bernardus, with the 2026 Solheim Cup locked at 4–4 after Friday’s foursomes and fourballs. From an early American advantage to a European rookie breakthrough and late drama from Carlota Ciganda, here’s how day one unfolded.
After months of anticipation, the first shot of the 2026 Solheim Cup was struck into a cool Dutch morning at Bernardus and, almost 12 hours of match play later, Europe and the USA were still impossible to separate. The Americans threatened to seize the initiative during the opening foursomes, Europe recovered to share the morning session and the pattern repeated through an afternoon of fluctuating fortunes before Carlota Ciganda delivered the final piece of drama on the 18th green.
It left the teams tied at 4–4 and ensured that Saturday will effectively begin again from scratch, although both captains will have learned plenty about their players from an opening day which tested them through changing conditions, considerable pressure and a partisan European crowd.
Morning foursomes: USA make the faster start
Anna Nordqvist entrusted Charley Hull and Lottie Woad with leading Europe out, pairing one of her most experienced Solheim Cup players with the highest-ranked of her four rookies. Woad settled any immediate nerves by winning the opening hole, but the scale of the assignment soon became apparent as Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz began to exert control.
The American pair arrived at Bernardus with an unbeaten Solheim Cup foursomes record and extended it with an emphatic 4&3 victory. Their fifth win together underlined why they have become such an important combination for the USA, and Alison Lee and Lauren Coughlin soon compounded Europe’s problems by beating Céline Boutier and Nanna Koerstz Madsen 3&2. With two matches completed and two American points on the board, the opening session was beginning to look uncomfortable for the hosts.
Europe’s response came from Maja Stark and Linn Grant, who produced a composed 3&2 victory over Rose Zhang and Jennifer Kupcho to put the first blue point on the scoreboard. That left Esther Henseleit and Leona Maguire with the task of completing the recovery against Andrea Lee and Lindy Duncan, and they held their nerve as the match went all the way to the final hole. Their 2UP victory transformed the complexion of the morning: Europe had gone from facing the prospect of a significant early deficit to walking off for lunch level at 2–2.
(Photo by David Cannon/LPGA via Getty Images)
Hull and Woad get another chance
Nordqvist had seen enough from Hull and Woad to send them straight back out in the first afternoon fourball, this time against Yealimi Noh and Angel Yin. It proved a very different contest from the morning as the European pair established the upper hand and held the lead for much of the match, with Woad producing one of her best moments of the day when she made eagle during the back nine.
The match also demonstrated the American resilience that would become one of the themes of the afternoon. Noh and Yin gradually worked their way back into contention, with Noh’s birdie at the 17th particularly important, and they arrived at the 18th all square. Europe could not find the final birdie they needed and the match was halved, leaving Woad understandably frustrated after she and Hull had spent so much of the afternoon in front. “We had the lead for most of it, but they kept on fighting back,” she said afterwards.
Hull was able to see the positives in a match packed with birdies and played through yet another change in the Bernardus weather. She praised Woad’s performance and highlighted her eagle, but after playing all 36 holes on Friday, her immediate priority was considerably simpler: “I feel tired and I can’t wait to get to bed.”
Nordqvist remained convinced that she had made the right call. She pointed to the difficulty of finding any rhythm in foursomes – Woad had told her that at one stage she had hit only two or three shots in around two hours – as well as the quality of Korda and Corpuz. The captain’s verdict on Hull and Woad was unequivocal: “I think it’s a very strong pairing for us.”
Rhodes and Nadaud seize their opportunity
Behind them, Nordqvist made one of the boldest selections of the opening day by pairing two rookies, Mimi Rhodes and Nastasia Nadaud, against Allisen Corpuz and Auston Kim. Rather than looking overwhelmed by the occasion, the European pair quickly settled into their work and produced some of the most assured golf of the afternoon.
Their 2&1 victory gave both players a win in their first Solheim Cup appearance and rewarded Nordqvist’s willingness to trust her younger players. Nadaud felt their consistency had been the key, saying they had made the important putts and “didn’t miss a lot of shots”, while Rhodes described the chemistry between the pair as “unreal”. With two balls regularly in play and repeated opportunities for birdie, they looked increasingly comfortable as the match progressed.
The pairing had been instinctive as much as analytical. Nordqvist knew Rhodes had a strong Curtis Cup match-play record, liked Nadaud’s aggressive approach and believed their personalities would complement each other. Their caddies were also good friends, adding another layer to a partnership that simply felt right to the captain.
“The rookies are really cool. They’re just so young and so fearless,” Nordqvist explained. “A lot of people probably go why? But I was like, well, why not?” Sometimes, she added, “you just got to trust the instinct.”
The message once they reached the first tee was equally uncomplicated. Nordqvist had asked them to enjoy themselves and their existing friendship made that easy. “I knew it would be a fun day whatever the outcome was,” Nadaud said. They returned with rather more than a good experience: Europe had discovered a rookie partnership capable of delivering a full point under Solheim Cup pressure.
USA keep themselves in the fight
If Europe were discovering new combinations, the USA continued to find answers through players already making an impact. Megan Khang and Alison Lee proved too strong for Boutier and Koerstz Madsen, winning 4&3 and ensuring that neither Rhodes and Nadaud’s victory nor the earlier European advantage in the opening match could translate into control of the afternoon session.
It fitted precisely with the approach Angela Stanford had wanted from her defending champions. Playing away from home, against a European side backed by a noisy Bernardus crowd, Stanford had expected her team to come under significant pressure and was more interested in how they absorbed it than in dominating the first day. Noh and Yin’s recovery against Hull and Woad was particularly important in that respect, turning a match that had been predominantly blue into another American half point.
Stanford later said she had expected Europe to “throw the kitchen sink” at her team and was proud of the way her players had responded. Her ambition coming into the week had been to remain close enough to Europe to reach Sunday with the contest still alive, and Friday provided evidence that the USA will be difficult to shake off.
Ciganda has the final word
The day’s final match brought together one of Europe’s most experienced Solheim Cup players and one of its newest. Ciganda had sat out the morning before being paired with fellow Spaniard Julia López Ramírez, and they faced a formidable American combination in Korda and Lauren Coughlin.
López Ramírez showed little sign of being intimidated either by the occasion or the opposition, while Ciganda appeared increasingly energised as the match developed. The Europeans built an advantage before Korda and Coughlin fought their way back, setting up a tense finish with the overall Day One score still hanging in the balance.
It was at the 16th that Ciganda produced one of the moments of Friday. Her eagle pulled Europe back into the match and brought an increasingly animated crowd with her, before the contest moved to the 18th with a half point still there to be won. Ciganda delivered again when Europe needed her, ensuring she and López Ramírez escaped with the half that left the overall score at 4–4.
Nordqvist was among those following the final match down the 18th and her reaction afterwards captured why Ciganda remains such an important figure in this European team. “Carlota loves the Solheim Cup more than anything,” she said. “Seeing her make the eagle putt on 16, just to see her bring out the best when it mattered the most, that’s Carlota for you, and that’s golf at its best.”
Ciganda’s own explanation was simpler. “I love this week. I just love playing for the team, for my teammates,” . She also understood the significance of getting something from a match against Korda and Coughlin, describing the half point and the 4–4 overnight score as important momentum for Europe going into Saturday.
Day One results
Friday morning foursomes
- Nelly Korda & Allisen Corpuz (USA) beat Charley Hull & Lottie Woad (EUR) 4&3
- Alison Lee & Lauren Coughlin (USA) beat Céline Boutier & Nanna Koerstz Madsen (EUR) 3&2
- Esther Henseleit & Leona Maguire (EUR) beat Andrea Lee & Lindy Duncan (USA) 2UP
- Maja Stark & Linn Grant (EUR) beat Rose Zhang & Jennifer Kupcho (USA) 3&2
- Foursomes: Europe 2–2 USA
Friday afternoon fourballs
- Charley Hull & Lottie Woad (EUR) halved with Yealimi Noh & Angel Yin (USA)
- Megan Khang & Alison Lee (USA) beat Céline Boutier & Nanna Koerstz Madsen (EUR) 5&3
- Mimi Rhodes & Nastasia Nadaud (EUR) beat Allisen Corpuz & Auston Kim (USA) 2&1
- Carlota Ciganda & Julia López Ramírez (EUR) halved with Nelly Korda & Lauren Coughlin (USA)
- Fourballs: Europe 2–2 USA
After Day One: Europe 4–4 USA
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