Birdie for Mimi Rhodes on 15, and she’s still alive! That’s got the gallery going, though further up the course, plenty are stunned at Esther Henseleit’s collapse. Alison Lee has played some magnificent golf to get herself back into the match, but there’s not been much resistance. A couple of poor wedges, a couple of putts that have shaved the hole, and the margins between success and failure at the Solheim Cup are so small. Meanwhile Jennifer Kupcho snatches a hole back against Carlota Ciganda, and she’s not given up hope of doing some more ear-cupping yet.

Henseleit v Al. Lee 1UP (17)
Rhodes v Korda 3UP (15)
2UP Koerstz Madsen v Corpuz (13)
1UP Nadaud v An. Lee (12)
2UP Lopez Ramirez v Noh (11)
4UP Woad v Kim (10)
Maguire v Coughlin 3UP (9)
Stark v Duncan 3UP (9)
3UP Ciganda v Kupcho (8)
Boutier A/S Zhang (7)
Europe 10-8 USA

Alison Lee smells blood, and she fires an arrow straight at the flag on 17. Six feet away. Esther Henseleit gets to 12 feet, but she’s going to five Lee the read, and when she shaves the edge, that aforementioned blood drains from her face. Lee knows the line now, and she’s half the distance in. She’s never missing, and from four down with seven to play, she’s now dormie. Half a point guaranteed for the USA. Heartbreaking for Henseleit. Meanwhile par is enough for Lindy Duncan on 9, and she’s now in total control against Maja Stark.

Mimi Rhodes on the brink. She really needs to chip in on 14, because Nelly Korda is on in regulation, albeit 70 feet away. Should Rhodes lose the hole, that’s that. But she nearly holes out! A tap-in for par, and though Korda goes close with her monster putt, which would close out the match, it’s just the half, and Rhodes stays alive for now.

Another birdie for Lindy Duncan on 8, and the 35-year-old rookie moves two clear of Maja Stark. Linn Grant can’t get up and down from greenside sand at 14, and Angel Yin isn’t finished yet. It’s another birdie for Julia Lopez Ramirez, at 10, and she’s taking control against Yealimi Noh. And how about this: birdie for Alison Lee on 16 to win her fourth hole in five against the crumbling Esther Henseleit! All square and what looked a sure point for Europe is now anything but!

Henseleit A/S Al. Lee (16)
3UP Grant v Yin (14)
Rhodes v Korda 4UP (13)
2UP Koerstz Madsen v Corpuz (12)
2UP Nadaud v An. Lee (10)
2UP Lopez Ramirez v Noh (10)
4UP Woad v Kim (9)
Maguire v Coughlin 3UP (8)
Stark v Duncan 2UP (8)
4UP Ciganda v Kupcho (7)
Boutier A/S Zhang (6)
Europe 9-8 USA

Charley Hull and Lottie Woad, good pals, have nevertheless been kryptonite to each other this week. Split apart finally, Hull’s won her match, and Woad is romping her’s! Her third birdie of the day, this time at 9, and she hits the turn against Auston Kim four holes to the good. Meanwhile Nanna Madsen walks in a long putt on 12 to double her lead over Allisen Corpuz. And Carlota Ciganda bounces back from that egregious tee shot on 6 by rolling in a 30-footer on 7 to reestablish her four-hole lead over Jennifer Kupcho. Looking good for Europe right now.

1UP Henseleit v Al. Lee (15)
4UP Grant v Yin (13)
Rhodes v Korda 4UP (13)
2UP Koerstz Madsen v Corpuz (12)
2UP Nadaud v An. Lee (10)
1UP Lopez Ramirez v Noh (9)
4UP Woad v Kim (9)
Maguire v Coughlin 3UP (8)
Stark v Duncan 1UP (7)
4UP Ciganda v Kupcho (7)
Boutier A/S Zhang (6)
Europe 9-8 USA

Par on 7 is enough for Lindy Duncan to complete a turnaround against Maja Stark. The big hitting of Nastasia Nadaud on 10 earns the French star a second win in three holes. Then on 16 …

Lottie Woad birdies 8 to establish dominance over Auston Kim. Julia Lopez Ramirez turns around her match against Yealimi Noh with par at 7 and birdie at 9. Angel Yin finds a greenside bunker at 13 and can’t get up and down; Linn Grant is now four up. As is Nelly Korda: Mimi Rhodes misses a short par putt on 12 to go four down with six to play.

2UP Hull v Khang (15)
1UP Henseleit v Al. Lee (14)
4UP Grant v Yin (13)
Rhodes v Korda 4UP (12)
1UP Koerstz Madsen v Corpuz (10)
1UP Nadaud v An. Lee (9)
1UP Lopez Ramirez v Noh (9)
3UP Woad v Kim (8)
Maguire v Coughlin 3UP (7)
Stark A/S Duncan (6)
4UP Ciganda v Kupcho (5)
Boutier A/S Zhang (4)

The eagle-eyed will have spotted Lindy Duncan levelling things up against Maja Stark. Birdie at 6 does the job. Meanwhile Esther Henseleit is beginning to unravel: she follows that chunked chip by thinning a bunker shot through the 14th green, and that’s a third hole gone in a row. And on 6, Carlota Ciganda shanks her tee shot into the drink. Not a banner few moments for Team Europe.

Lauren Coughlan is taking control against Leona Maguire. She rolls in a downhill 20-footer for birdie to go 3UP. Linn Grant’s 15-foot birdie putt on 12 dies off to the left on its final turn; Angel Yin takes two putts from the fringe at the back to tie the hole. And Megan Khang is still to win a hole today, leaving a makeable birdie putt on 15 short. Meanwhile Nanna Madsen reclaims the lead against Allisen Corpuz by sending her third close at the par-five 10th, while Carlota Ciganda extends her lead against an out-of-sorts Jennifer Kupcho. That’s four birdies and four holes in a row for the Spaniard!

2UP Hull v Khang (15)
2UP Henseleit v Al. Lee (13)
3UP Grant v Yin (12)
Rhodes v Korda 3UP (11)
1UP Koerstz Madsen v Corpuz (10)
1UP Nadaud v An. Lee (9)
Lopez Ramirez A/S Noh (7)
2UP Woad v Kim (7)
Maguire v Coughlin 3UP (7)
Stark A/S Duncan (6)
4UP Ciganda v Kupcho (5)
Boutier A/S Zhang (4)

Charley Hull pulls her drive at 14 down the left. She’s lucky to evade the heather, but she’s blocked out, and her second bounds away from the green and into sandy trouble. She lobs up well to ten feet, but with Megan Khang in for par, she needs to make the putt to retain her two-shot lead. And in it goes! A perfectly weighted right-to-left curler. But bad news for Europe back on 13, where Esther Henseleit, already out of position, chunks a greenside chip, and concedes the hole. Her four-hole lead cleaved in half in a couple of holes.

2UP Hull v Khang (14)
2UP Henseleit v Al. Lee (13)
3UP Grant v Yin (11)
Rhodes v Korda 3UP (10)
Koerstz Madsen A/S Corpuz (9)
1UP Nadaud v An. Lee (8)
Lopez Ramirez A/S Noh (7)
2UP Woad v Kim (6)
Maguire v Coughlin 2UP (6)
1UP Stark v Duncan (5)
3UP Ciganda v Kupcho (4)
Boutier A/S Zhang (4)

Linn Grant restores her three-hole lead over Angel Yin. The latter was already in bother, having hit wood with her tee shot on 11, but Grant, with two putts for the win, walks in a birdie putt from the fringe to great acclaim. Meanwhile par on 8 is good enough for Nastasia Nadaud to take the lead against Andrea Lee for the first time in her match. Ditto Julia Lopez Ramirez on 7, her par levelling the match against Yealimi Noh. Quite a few of these matches are oscillating gently in the breeze. Good luck predicting the outcomes!

2UP Hull v Khang (13)
3UP Henseleit v Al. Lee (12)
3UP Grant v Yin (11)
Rhodes v Korda 3UP (10)
Koerstz Madsen A/S Corpuz (9)
1UP Nadaud v An. Lee (8)
Lopez Ramirez v Noh 1UP (6)
2UP Woad v Kim (6)
Maguire v Coughlin 2UP (6)
1UP Stark v Duncan (5)
3UP Ciganda v Kupcho (4)
Boutier A/S Zhang (3)

Jennifer Kupcho makes a royal balls of the par-three 4th. She sends her tee shot onto a grassy knoll to the right of the green. Her chip down doesn’t make the putting surface and performs a u-turn down a swale. Then her putt up fails to make it, too. She picks up and moves on, 3DOWN already. Those heroics of yesterday evening may have taken an emotional toll. Meanwhile Allisen Corpuz rolls in a 20-footer on 9 to tie things up again against Nanna Madsen.

Alison Lee wins her first hole of the day, sending her approach at 12 to four feet and tidying up for birdie. Her deficit against Esther Henseleit whittled down to three. Meanwhile Angel Yin clips a tree to the left of the par-three 11th, so her comeback is in danger of stalling the minute it began.

2UP Hull v Khang (13)
3UP Henseleit v Al. Lee (12)
2UP Grant v Yin (10)
Rhodes v Korda 3UP (9)
1UP Koerstz Madsen v Corpuz (8)
Nadaud A/S An. Lee (7)
Lopez Ramirez v Noh 1UP (6)
2UP Woad v Kim (6)
Maguire v Coughlin 2UP (5)
1UP Stark v Duncan (4)
2UP Ciganda v Kupcho (3)
Boutier A/S Zhang (2)

Something finally happens for Angel Yin. It’s just a par on 10, but it’s enough to snatch a hole back from Linn Grant, who had made the strange decision to putt out of the fescue at the side of the green. Her ball didn’t make it to the dancefloor. Meanwhile with birdie at 5, Lauren Coughlin doubles her lead over Leona Maguire, who has momentarily misplaced her Solheim mojo.

2UP Hull v Khang (13)
4UP Henseleit v Al. Lee (11)
2UP Grant v Yin (10)
Rhodes v Korda 3UP (9)
1UP Koerstz Madsen v Corpuz (8)
Nadaud A/S An. Lee (7)
Lopez Ramirez v Noh 1UP (6)
2UP Woad v Kim (6)
Maguire v Coughlin 2UP (5)
1UP Stark v Duncan (4)
2UP Ciganda v Kupcho (3)
Boutier A/S Zhang (2)

Mimi Rhodes needs to chip in from the back of 9 to salvage a half. She nearly does so, as well, her ball rolling elegantly towards the hole but somehow staying up on the right. Nelly Korda beginning to pull clear. As is Carlota Ciganda against Jennifer Kupcho, the former winning the putting contests this time round. She rolls in a 20-footer for birdie on 3, and yesterday evening’s hero can’t match the feat.

2UP Hull v Khang (12)
4UP Henseleit v Al. Lee (11)
3UP Grant v Yin (9)
Rhodes v Korda 3UP (9)
1UP Koerstz Madsen v Corpuz (8)
Nadaud A/S An. Lee (7)
Lopez Ramirez v Noh 1UP (6)
2UP Woad v Kim (5)
Maguire v Coughlin 1UP (4)
1UP Stark v Duncan (4)
2UP Ciganda v Kupcho (3)
Boutier A/S Zhang (2)

Our first opportunity of the day to break into song. ♫ Maja Stark, doo doo doo doo doo doooo, doo doo doo doo doo doooo, doo doo doo doo doo doooo, MA-JA STARK! ♪♫ Birdie for the popular Swede on 3 to give her the lead over Lindy Duncan. Birdie meanwhile for Yealimi Noh on 5 to regain the advantage against Julia Lopez Ramirez. And Auston Kim misses a short birdie putt on 5, Lottie Woad going 2UP in short order. It is all happening.

2UP Hull v Khang (12)
4UP Henseleit v Al. Lee (11)
3UP Grant v Yin (9)
Rhodes v Korda 2UP (8)
1UP Koerstz Madsen v Corpuz (7)
Nadaud A/S An. Lee (7)
Lopez Ramirez v Noh 1UP (6)
2UP Woad v Kim (5)
Maguire v Coughlin 1UP (4)
1UP Stark v Duncan (4)
1UP Ciganda v Kupcho (2)
Boutier A/S Zhang (1)

The rain has finally stopped. Allisen Corpuz fires a dart straight at the flag on 7, caring not a jot about the creek guarding the green. Her bravery earns her a birdie and cuts Nanna Madsen’s lead in half. Meanwhile Jennifer Kupcho, who made 122 feet’s worth of putts on 17 and 18 last night, misses a chance to tie the 2nd against Carlota Ciganda from three feet. Golf, huh.

2UP Hull v Khang (11)
4UP Henseleit v Al. Lee (10)
3UP Grant v Yin (8)
Rhodes v Korda 2UP (8)
1UP Koerstz Madsen v Corpuz (7)
Nadaud A/S An. Lee (5)
Lopez Ramirez A/S Noh (4)
1UP Woad v Kim (4)
Maguire v Coughlin 1UP (3)
Stark A/S Duncan (2)
1UP Ciganda v Kupcho (2)
Boutier A/S Zhang (1)

Auston Kim misses a short birdie putt on 4, and Lottie Woad, who had already converted, hits the front. Megan Khang shaves the cup on 11; so close to a bounceback birdie, but Charley Hull remains 2UP. And Celine Boutier leaves a birdie putt one roll short on 1, so no fast start for Europe in the anchor match. But Mimi Rhodes rattles in a 15-footer for birdie at 8 to halve the hole and hang on in there against Nelly Korda.

2UP Hull v Khang (11)
4UP Henseleit v Al. Lee (9)
3UP Grant v Yin (8)
Rhodes v Korda 2UP (8)
2UP Koerstz Madsen v Corpuz (6)
Nadaud A/S An. Lee (4)
Lopez Ramirez A/S Noh (4)
1UP Woad v Kim (4)
Maguire v Coughlin 1UP (3)
Stark A/S Duncan (2)
Ciganda A/S Kupcho (1)
Boutier A/S Zhang (1)

Par is enough to win the 6th hole for Nanna Madsen. Europe looking good at the top end of the scoreboard, but with so many players currently on terms, you’d be a brave soul to bet the farm on the outcome.

2UP Hull v Khang (10)
4UP Henseleit v Al. Lee (9)
3UP Grant v Yin (8)
Rhodes v Korda 2UP (7)
2UP Koerstz Madsen v Corpuz (6)
Nadaud A/S An. Lee (4)
Lopez Ramirez A/S Noh (4)
Woad A/S Kim (3)
Maguire v Coughlin 1UP (2)
Stark A/S Duncan (2)
Ciganda A/S Kupcho (1)
Boutier v Zhang

A third birdie of the day for the world number one Nelly Korda, this time at 7. She moves a couple up against Mimi Rhodes. Linn Grant and Angel Yin both make their birdie putts on 8, the latter snapping that dismal five-bogey streak. Charley Hull’s two big hits into 10 prove enough to win the hole and double her lead over Megan Khang. Meanwhile Celine Boutier and Rose Zhang arrive on the 1st tee, and now all of the matches are out on the course.

Linn Grant cops a decent lie on a bald spot amid the heather down the right of 8. She takes advantage of her good fortune by wedging to eight feet. That turns the pressure up on Angel Yin, but she clips crisply out of the bunker to six feet. Putting contest coming up. Meanwhile Lottie Woad and Auston Kim trade birdies on 3, the former with an iron to four feet, the latter with a 20-foot putt. And on 4, Yealimi Noh and Julia Lopez Ramirez take turns to miss three-footers and the hole is somehow halved.

Angel Yin has made five bogeys in a row. But she’s got the advantage on the short par-four 8th, finding the bunker guarding the front left of the green, Linn Grant flaying her tee shot towards heather down the right. Meanwhile up on the par-five 10th, Charley Hull hammers a fairway wood onto the front of the green to set up a long eagle chance. Her opponent Megan Khang is forced to lay up.

Having found water on 5, Angel Yin does it again on 7. Her ball in a creek guarding the front of the green. It costs her another hole. Julia Lopez Ramirez birdies 3 to level against Yealimi Noh. Meanwhile Nelly Korda drains a 25-footer on 6 to regain the lead against Mimi Rhodes.

1UP Hull v Khang (9)
4UP Henseleit v Al. Lee (8)
3UP Grant v Yin (7)
Rhodes v Korda 1UP (6)
1UP Koerstz Madsen v Corpuz (4)
Nadaud A/S An. Lee (4)
Lopez Ramirez A/S Noh (3)
Woad A/S Kim (2)
Maguire v Coughlin 1UP (1)
Stark A/S Duncan (1)
Ciganda v Kupcho

It’s going extremely well for Europe at the moment. Even a birdie for Yealimi Noh on 2, which gives her the lead against Julia Lopez Ramirez, doesn’t change that. But the USA have started slowly in most of the disciplines so far, and managed to fight their way back on the later holes. There’s a long way to go. It’s still absolutely hosing down, by the way.

Birdie for Mimi Rhodes at 5, and the rookie has tied up her match against the world number one Nelly Korda! Another European rookie, Nastasia Nadaud, levels up against Andrea Lee, the latter having found that water. And so for a few seconds, there’s no red on the board … until Lauren Coughlin walks in a par putt on 1 to go up early doors against Leona Maguire. Meanwhile Alison Lee’s antics down 7 hands another hole to Esther Henselit, as expected.

1UP Hull v Khang (8)
4UP Henseleit v Al. Lee (7)
2UP Grant v Yin (6)
Rhodes A/S Korda (5)
1UP Koerstz Madsen v Corpuz (4)
Nadaud A/S An. Lee (3)
Lopez Ramirez A/S Noh (1)
Woad A/S Kim (1)
Maguire v Coughlin 1UP (1)
Stark v Duncan

Angel Yin misses the green at the par-three 6th, and it’s another hole for Linn Grant. Her third in four holes. Yin’s lack of competitive action catching up with her big-time. Alison Lee sends her third at 3 into a greenside bunker. And a messy double bogey by Nanna Madsen on 4 cuts her lead in half.

Not a good moment if your name is Lee. Alison’s tee shot at 7 ends up under a tree atop some pine cones, and she’s forced to punch out. Esther Henseleit finds the green in regulation and the US are in a spot of bother there. See also Andrea on 3, as her ball takes a flyer, whistling through the green and towards the water behind. She might have gone through the reeds and in, it’s not clear from the pictures. Either way, it’s not going to be good news for her.

Esther Henseleit becomes the first player today to go three holes up. Her tee shot at the par-three 6th finds the meat of the green; Alison Lee’s effort bounds through and down the swale at the back. Lee can’t get up and down, and par is enough for the German. Angel Yin’s visit to the water on 5 costs her the hole and gifts Linn Grant the lead. But there’s better news for the USA on 2, where Andrea Lee’s birdie puts some red on the board.

1UP Hull v Khang (7)
3UP Henseleit v Al. Lee (6)
1UP Grant v Yin (5)
Rhodes v Korda 1UP (4)
2UP Koerstz Madsen v Corpuz (3)
Nadaud v An. Lee 1UP (2)
Lopez Ramirez A/S Noh (1)
Woad v Kim

Angel Yin started fast, but having not played so much golf this year, the rust is beginning to show. She carves her third at 5 into the drink on the right. As if it isn’t wet enough.

The rain is coming down in stair rods now. Players taking their shots as quickly as possible before scuttling back under the nearest umbrella. It’s cold as well. In theory, these conditions should favour the Europeans, who will be more used to them … but Angela Stanford sent her players out to practice under a deluge on Wednesday, and was at pains to emphasise that the US are prepared and ready to deal with wet weather. Thrills and spills ahoy!

Nanna Madsen looks to have benefitted from putting her feet up yesterday. She’s now followed birdie at 1 with another at 2, and she’s flown out of the traps. See also Esther Henseleit, who rolls in a 15-footer on 5 for birdie and Europe are 2UP in that match as well!

1UP Hull v Khang (6)
2UP Henseleit v Al. Lee (5)
Grant A/S Yin (4)
Rhodes v Korda 1UP (3)
2UP Koerstz Madsen v Corpuz (2)
Nadaud A/S An. Lee (1)
Lopez Ramirez v Noh

Nastasia Nadaud and Andrea Lee take turns to shave the lip with mid-range birdie putts on 1. Up on 4, Angel Yin leaves a monster birdie effort a good ten feet short, and doesn’t lose her turn. She can’t make the par saver … but Linn Grant spurns the opportunity to win the hole from five feet, her ball breaking away on the low side. Grant doesn’t concede Yin’s bogey putt, which to be fair looks well inside the leather. Gauntlet down, gloves off, Yin converts but doesn’t look particularly happy about it. That may have been the entire point, of course.

1UP Hull v Khang (5)
1UP Henseleit v Al. Lee (4)
Grant A/S Yin (4)
Rhodes v Korda 1UP (2)
1UP Koerstz Madsen v Corpuz (1)
Nadaud A/S An. Lee (1)
Lopez Ramirez v Noh

Charley Hull has a reasonably straight six-footer on 5 for birdie and the win. But she leaves it up on the high side. Bit of a misread. An opportunity goes by. The rain is getting heavier.

Mimi Rhodes isn’t close at 2. Nelly Korda is. Rhodes leaves a 50-foot putt ten short, but she doesn’t get the opportunity to make par, because Korda steers in a gentle left-to-right curler from eight feet to hit the front in that match. Meanwhile bogey for Angel Yin at 3 gifts Linn Grant parity in match three.

1UP Hull v Khang (4)
1UP Henseleit v Al. Lee (4)
Grant A/S Yin (3)
Rhodes v Korda 1UP (2)
1UP Koerstz Madsen v Corpuz (1)
Nadaud v An. Lee

Allisen Corpuz – in the bunker at the back of 1, having earlier been forced to chop out from the heather – has to hole out for the half. She can’t do it. Europe go 1UP. Back on the tee, the latest match to go out is Andrea Lee versus the impressive rookie Nastasia Nadaud, the youngest player here this week. Two points in the bag for the 21-year-old French star-in-the-making already.

Charley Hull carves her tee shot at the par-three 4th into rough to the right of the green. But she nearly holes the chip up, and that’s enough to scramble the half and retain her lead. Meanwhile on 1, Allisen Corpuz becomes the latest US player to find the bunker at the back of the green. Nanna Madsen nearly does the same, but her ball grabs the last bit of green and spins back to 12 feet. Advantage Europe in that one.

Mimi Rhodes very nearly drains a 30-footer on 1 for an early lead. But the ball stops one turn short. Not many putts racing past the hole so far. Not any. Back on the tee, Allisen Corpuz pulls her opening drive into the heather down the left. Her ball rears up and hits a marshal on the jacksie, a lovely cartoon touch. But back into the heather it disappears. From bracket to bracken. Nanna Madsen, freshly rested after a day off, splits the fairway. Meanwhile up on 2, Angel Yin spins her approach to kick-in range, and that’s the first dash of red on the board this morning.

1UP Hull v Khang (3)
1UP Henseleit v Al. Lee (2)
Grant v Yin 1UP (2)
Rhodes A/S Korda (1)
Koerstz Madsen v Corpuz

Alison Lee gets a bit of a flyer out of wet semi-rough down the right of 2. She doesn’t get close to the flag, and though she lags her long birdie putt up to tap-in distance, Esther Henseleit has thrown a dart to six feet from the centre of the fairway and tidies up for birdie. Another splash of blue on the scoreboard. That putt only just dropped, though. The greens slow, to belabour the point.

1UP Hull v Khang (3)
1UP Henseleit v Al. Lee (2)
Grant A/S Yin (1)
Rhodes v Korda

The greens haven’t run this slow all week: 10 on the stimp compared to 10.3 yesterday. And the players are struggling with the pace in these early matches. Angel Yin and Linn Grant become the latest to leave fairly straight birdie putts a couple of inches short on 1. Back on the tee, the world number one Nelly Korda prepares to face the rookie Mimi Rhodes, who already has two points in the bag for Europe this week. She’s on record as saying she loves a challenge and the heat of battle; she’s certainly got all of that on her plate today. They both find the wide, generous fairway.

1UP Hull v Khang (2)
Henseleit A/S Al. Lee (1)
Grant A/S Yin (1)
Rhodes v Korda

Charley Hull lets go of her club – a wet grip? – while sending her second at the par-five 2nd into a fairway bunker. She whips into the green and makes par, but Megan Khang set up a six-foot birdie chance to level the match. However she repeats the error of the 1st hole, leaving a dribbler short, failing to take into account the slowness of the wet greens. A let-off for Hull.

1UP Hull v Khang (2)
Henseleit A/S Al. Lee (1)
Grant v Yin

Angel Yin hasn’t played too much golf recently – she’s been ill earlier in the year, and sat out yesterday altogether – but displays no nerves in sending her opening drive down the middle. Linn Grant follows her. Up on the green, Alison Lee gets up and down from the bunker to salvage a half.

1UP Hull v Khang (1)
Henseleit A/S Al. Lee (1)
Grant v Yin

With the rain still coming down, and forecast to get heavier in the early afternoon, it’s preferred lies today. Finding the fairway more important than ever. But you still have to take advantage. Esther Henseleit throws a dart at the flagstick on 1, her ball ten feet shy of the pin. But Alison Lee makes exactly the same mistake Megan Khang did, finding the bunker at the back. She’s left with a slight downhill lie and not much green to play with. More good news for Europe coming up?

The US captain Angela Stanford references Jennifer Kupcho’s heroics as she makes a bullish statement to Sky: “We needed a jolt … they’re all fired up this morning … I’m pretty confident in the end of our line-up … they’re ready.”

Esther Henseleit and Alison Lee take turns to split the fairway with their opening drives. Up on the green, Megan Khang doesn’t give her five-footer enough oomph, the moisture on the green doing a number on her. The ball stays on the edge. The door open for Hull, and she walks on through. First blood to Europe!

1UP Hull v Khang (1)
Henseleit v Al. Lee

Hull is further from the flag so will take her putt first. A 30-footer with some right-to-left swing. She leaves the putt three feet short, the morning rain having slowed the greens. Khang splashes out from the bunker to five feet. A couple of little testers coming up. Back on the tee, the second match of Esther Henseleit and Alison Lee arrives for work. Bedlam, bedlam, bedlam.

The adrenaline must be pumping … and Megan Khang sends her approach through the green into a bunker at the back of 1. She can’t believe it. “Long?!” she asks her caddie. It’s long. Charley Hull responds with a slightly conservative play, finding the heart of the green, the pin tucked back left near Khang’s bunker. But that’s a slight advantage to Europe.

Europe captain Anna Nordqvist has a simple message for Sky Sports: “We’re on a mission today.”

Here we go, then … it’s come to this. A rainy day at Bernardus Golf in Cromvoirt near Den Bosch in North Brabant, Netherlands. The gallery in good voice nonetheless. The first match of Charley Hull and Megan Khang receive the ovation they deserve. Both players have led their team out before, Khang beating Linn Grant in 2023, Hull seeing off Nelly Korda in 2024. That experience sees them good as they both pump fine drives down the track. No going back now!