Carlota Ciganda's Last Putt Keeps Solheim Cup Dead Even

Ciganda’s par save closed the day, but the afternoon had already changed shape several times. Nastasia Nadaud and Mimi Rhodes won in their first Solheim Cup match together, Megan Khang and Alison Lee pulled away after the turn, and Hull and Woad watched a 3-up lead vanish over the closing seven holes.

Eight matches settled almost nothing beyond the score. They did show how quickly a quiet stretch can cost either side.

The Americans Find Their Afternoon Pair

Megan Khang and Alison Lee were all square with Celine Boutier and Nanna Koerstz Madsen through nine holes. Then Lee made birdie at the par-5 10th, and Khang followed with one at No. 11. A match that had moved back and forth became the only comfortable American result of the session, a 5-and-3 victory.

Lee described the change without dressing it up. The Americans had been hitting good shots, she said, but missing putts. Once each player watched one fall, “you couldn’t stop us for sure.”

Khang said they bicker like sisters. On the course, that familiarity showed in how little ceremony they gave the bad holes. Four-ball partners can waste good golf when both try to repair the same mistake. Khang and Lee took turns doing the work.

For Lee, the point carried another layer. She returned to the competition after becoming a mother and spoke afterward about the practice, long days and sleepless nights it took to get back. Her morning win with Coughlin and afternoon win with Khang made her the only player on either team to finish Friday 2-0. “To make it here and to be here putting two points on the board for USA is awesome,” she said.

The Americans still needed help in the top match. Without it, Lee’s two wins could have been swallowed by a board that had spent much of the afternoon covered in blue.

Three Up Was Not Safe

Hull and Woad led Angel Yin and Yealimi Noh by three holes with seven remaining. Woad had produced the sort of shots that make a first Solheim Cup look easy, including an eagle at the 10th. The home crowd had two English players in front and a point beginning to feel close.

Noh changed the temperature of the match. She made the birdies the Americans required while Yin, playing after an illness and a light summer schedule, supplied help when it mattered. Noh’s birdie at the 17th finally pulled the match square, and neither side converted at 18.

The half-point mattered differently to each team. Europe had controlled most of the match and lost half of what it appeared ready to collect. The United States had been three down late and walked away without a loss.

Yin acknowledged that she had not fully accounted for the pressure and did not strike the ball as she wanted. Noh’s steadiness gave her room to settle. “We made mistakes but on different holes,” Noh said. On the back nine, one American ball kept surviving when the other was out of position.

Nordqvist’s Rookies Earn Their Place

European captain Anna Nordqvist sat four players in the morning and sent all four out after lunch. Three were rookies. By day’s end, that incoming group had contributed 1 1/2 points through two matches.

Nastasia Nadaud and Mimi Rhodes earned the full point, beating Allisen Corpuz and Auston Kim 2 and 1. Their golf was controlled enough to make the pairing look older than it was. Rhodes said they kept putting two balls on the green and giving themselves birdie chances. Nadaud’s explanation was equally plain: they did not miss many shots.

The contrast inside the American pairing was sharp. Corpuz had spent the morning making Solheim Cup history with Korda as the first partnership to reach a 5-0-0 record. Kim was hitting her first shot in this event. Both played solidly in the afternoon, but Rhodes and Nadaud won three holes in a four-hole run on the back nine and did not let the match reach 18.

Nordqvist could have attached each rookie to a veteran. She put Nadaud and Rhodes together, and they gave Europe its only outright win of the session.

Lopez Ramirez took the other rookie assignment beside Ciganda. Their match against Korda and Coughlin was never more than two holes apart. Europe led by two after eight; the Americans were one up after 15. Ciganda then poured in an eagle putt at the par-5 16th to pull even.

That left the final match tied on the 18th tee. The Americans found the fairway; both Europeans found trouble.

One Putt Changes the Walk to Saturday

Ciganda’s par at 18 sent both teams into Saturday level.

Had the putt missed, the United States would have left Friday ahead 4 1/2-3 1/2 after Europe had held advantages in three afternoon matches. Instead, both captains finished the opening day with evidence that their plans can work. Stanford got a win from Khang and Lee, then watched Noh lead a recovery that saved another half. Nordqvist received 1 1/2 points from the matches featuring her three afternoon rookie additions.

Neither captain has to chase the score Saturday morning. Neither can pretend Friday was comfortable.

Alison Lee is the only 2-0 player in the field. Korda went 1-0-1, and the Hull-Woad pairing finished its first day with a loss and a tie despite stretches of excellent golf. Europe’s three rookies who entered in the afternoon helped produce 1 1/2 points, enough to change how Nordqvist can build the rest of her lineup.

Ciganda called the last half-point “really important.” Her route to it was a poor drive, a heavy second and the one putt Europe could not afford to miss.

PGA of America Golf Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer who serves as Athlon Sports Senior Golf Writer. Read his recent “The Starter” on RG.org, where he is their Lead Golf Writer. To stay updated on all of his latest work, sign up for his newsletter or visit his MuckRack Profile.