Carlota Ciganda rescued a crucial half-point on the 18th as Europe and the United States finished the opening day of the Solheim Cup tied 4-4.
The Spaniard converted a 12-foot par putt at Bernardus Golf after missing the fairway on the closing hole. The par completed a halved four-ball match alongside rookie Julia Lopez Ramirez against world No. 1 Nelly Korda and Lauren Coughlin.
Both Americans had opportunities to win the match, but their birdie putts finished short. Ciganda then holed her par putt to ensure the teams shared the afternoon four-balls 2-2, matching the score from the opening foursomes session.
It was the first time in the competition’s 36-year history that Europe and the United States had split both sessions on the opening day.
“I love this week,” Ciganda said during a post-round interview on the 18th green. “I just love playing for the team, for my teammates.”
Ciganda came clutch on 18 – all tied up. pic.twitter.com/ms22YI7oj3
— The Solheim Cup (@TheSolheimCup) September 11, 2026
Ciganda delivers again on the 18th
Ciganda’s escape came on the hardest hole at Bernardus, where water, bunkers and a small green leave little margin for error. The 36-year-old missed the fairway but saved par to prevent the United States from taking an overnight lead.
The finish added another entry to Ciganda’s Solheim Cup record. At Finca Cortesin in 2023, she made consecutive late birdies to defeat Korda in singles and secure the point that allowed Europe to retain the trophy with a 14-14 tie.
Korda’s afternoon frustration followed a commanding morning performance with Allisen Corpuz. The American pair beat Charley Hull and Lottie Woad 4&3, setting a record as the first partnership to win five Solheim Cup matches in a row together.
“[Allisen is] just so solid. Honestly, I enjoy playing with her so much,” said Korda. “We have a lot of fun out there. Our caddies have so much fun out there. She’s just such a solid player. It’s really good to rely on her, and it’s also fun.”
Korda and Corpuz have collected five points from five matches across the 2023, 2024 and 2026 contests. Their latest victory also established a new American record for points earned by a partnership.
“I always make the joke to Nelly, like, it’s so nice to be 30 yards ahead of where I would be on my own drive,” said Corpuz. “It just makes the hole so much easier, I think. It’s so much fun out here. I love the Solheim Cup. I love being out here.”
Rookies and Khang shape four-balls
European rookies Mimi Rhodes and Nastasia Nadaud earned a full point by beating Corpuz and Auston Kim 2&1. Their victory helped Europe stay level after the teams had also shared the other two afternoon matches.
Megan Khang and Alison Lee produced the strongest American result of the session, defeating Celine Boutier and Nanna Koerstz Madsen 5&3. They recovered from 2 down by winning six of their final nine holes, including five of the last six.
Khang has now gone unbeaten in nine consecutive Solheim Cup matches, tying the second-longest undefeated sequence in the event’s history. She arrived in the Netherlands on an eight-match unbeaten run stretching back to the 2021 contest at Inverness.
The United States had led 2-0 during the morning before Europe won the final two foursomes. Maja Stark and Linn Grant beat Rose Zhang and Jennifer Kupcho 3&2, while Esther Henseleit and Leona Maguire defeated Andrea Lee and Lindy Duncan 2 up.
Twenty points remain available across Saturday’s foursomes and four-balls and Sunday’s 12 singles matches. The United States needs 14 points overall to retain the trophy, while Europe requires 14½ to reclaim it.
“I expected them to throw the kitchen sink at us right from the bat,” U.S. captain Angela Stanford said, “and I think we held up well.”
Friday Fourballs 2-2 |
|||||
| USA | Europe | ||||
| Match | Player | Result | Player | ||
| 1 |
Yealimi Noh/Angel Yin
|
Tie |
Charley Hull/Lottie Woad
|
||
| 2 | Megan Khang/Alison Lee | < | 5&3 |
Celine Boutier/Nanna Koerstz Madsen
|
|
| 3 |
Allisen Corpuz/Auston Kim
|
2&1 | > |
Mimi Rhodes/Nastasia Nadaud
|
|
| 4 |
Nelly Korda/Lauren Coughlin
|
Tie |
Carlota Ciganda/Julia Lopez Ramirez
|
||
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Simon Bale
Simon Bale is the publisher of Golf Today. A low single-figure handicap golfer, he was previously a major shareholder and course reviewer for Top100GolfCourses.com for over a decade, starting in 2010. Through this role, he developed extensive knowledge of golf course design and architecture while playing more than 300 courses worldwide.