Europe and the United States are tied at 8-8 after the first two days of the Solheim Cup being played at the Finca Cortesín golf resort in Malaga, which concludes tomorrow with the twelve individual matches. Carlota Ciganda from Navarre, who has won her two matches, has led the Europeans in their comeback from the score against which they started the day.
On Saturday there has been a 2-2 tie in the four morning foursomes matches (alternate strokes), and in the afternoon Europe won 3-1 in the four four fourball matches (best ball).
Ciganda won her two matches on Saturday. First in the foursomes with Denmark’s Emily Pedersen (2 and 1 against Lilia Vu and Jennifer Kupcho), and then in the fourball with Sweden’s Linn Grant (2 and 1 against Danielle Kang and Lilia Vu).
“Playing in Spain, in front of my family, my fans and my friends, I love it,” said the player from Navarre. “I love it here. I’m enjoying this week. I think it’s been great. I still have a big day ahead of me tomorrow, but I’m just trying to enjoy it.”
“I love Suzann and the Solheim Cup and Laura and Caroline. It’s been a great week so far, and I want to win here in Spain tomorrow. I really want to win for Suzann because I think she has been a great captain. She deserves this. Hopefully we can go out and score as many points as possible and win the Cup.”
In the morning, the first part of the second round of the Solheim Cup ended with two victories for each team. On the European side, Carlota Ciganda won again, this time with Emily Kristine Pedersen, as well as the Swedish pair formed by Linn Grant and Maja Stark.
Europe and the United States shared equally the four points at stake in the morning Foursomes, a result that increased the value of the afternoon Fourballs.
Only one of the duels, the one between Nelly Korda and Allisen Korpuz, was clearly unbalanced on the American side. Europe countered thanks to the efficiency of the Ciganda-Pedersen pairing in the first game and the combined grit of Grant-Stark in the last, a vital point when it was already known that Lexi Thompson and Megan Khang had taken the second morning point for the United States.
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SATURDAY MORNING FOURSOMES: Europe, 2 – United States, 2
Carlota Ciganda – Emily Pedersen (Europe) beat Lilia Vu – Jennifer Kupcho (USA) by 2/1
Based on the reaction of the previous day, the captain Suzzane Pettersen placed Carlota Ciganda at the forefront along with the Danish Emily Pedersen. The stands on the tee of hole 1 roared and the machinery was set in motion to deepen the turnaround in the scoreboard. The Spanish-Irish pair took the lead with force through two points on holes 5 and 6, but were immediately countered by the Americans on 7 and 8. Two European strokes on holes 10 and 13 gave way to a spectacular American birdie on 15 that raised the tension to the maximum. It was Carlota Ciganda, with a decisively executed putt on the 17th hole, who elevated the first European point to the day’s scoreboard.
Lexi Thompson – Danielle Kang (USA) defeated Anna Nordqvist – Leona Maguire (Europe) by 1up.
Sweden and Ireland repeated the experience in the Foursome, this time taking the lead with some clarity throughout the first round, dominated by the Europeans until three consecutive bogeys, between holes 9 and 11, led the Americans to take the lead. A great birdie by Nordqvist on the 14th brought the match back to square one. On the par 3 17th, a ball thrown into the tee bunker by Nordqvist herself allowed the subsequent American point, a definitive advantage in the end.
Nelly Korda – Allisen Corpuz (USA) beat Georgia Hall – Celine Boutier (Europe) by 5/3
The pair formed by Georgia Hall and Celine Boutier was called to be one of the most powerful of the European team, but the truth is that they have not performed as expected in the Foursomes. They did not finish it on Friday and did not finish it on Saturday against Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz, who already proved to be winners in their first Foursome.
The duel had no history: two American birdies to start and, from then on, to row against the tide. Korda and Corpuz gradually widened their lead (3up on 7, 4up on 11, 5up on 13) against a European pair that could only make three birdies all morning. The only joy was Georgia Hall’s beautiful long putt for birdie at the 14th, which delayed the sentence.
Maja Stark – Linn Grant (Europe) beat Danielle Kang – Andrea Lee (USA) by 1up
The last match of the morning was crucial for Europe not to fall behind in the scoreboard, and the European pair did not fail. Neither did the American, who with the help of a spectacular Andrea Lee with the putt remained in the match at all times. So much so that she forced Linn Grant to make a remarkable birdie on the 18th hole to win.
The match was a roller coaster, especially from the 8th hole on, absolutely vibrant. The visitors never took the lead. Europe did everything to extend a lead that never exceeded 1up, but Lee and Kang not only did not allow it, but also tied the score on four occasions. The highlight of the match was Maja Stark’s sensational putt on the 17th hole to regain the lead. Linn Grant, already on the 18th, sealed a triumph that tasted like more than just a point.
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SATURDAY EVENING FOURBALL: Europe, 3 – United States, 1
Charley Hull and Leona Maguire defeated Nelly Korda and Ally Ewing 4 and 3.
In the first match of the afternoon, with Charley Hull and Leona Maguire taking on Nelly Korda and Ally Ewing, Europe won its point to pull within one of the United States.
The duo won the second, fourth, seventh and eighth holes with birdies to take a four-hole lead over the visitors.
The Europeans lost the tenth, but a birdie by Maguire on the 12th brought the pair back to 4 up.
Hull’s par putt on the 15th green was conceded for the Europeans to win the match 4 and 3, bringing the overall score to 7-6 in favor of the United States.
Cheyenne Knight and Angel Yin beat Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall 2 up
The second fourball match was a very close competition. Europe won the first hole with a birdie, but the United States tied with another on the third hole.
The Swede holed huge putts on the fifth and eighth holes to go two up, but then the U.S. turned it around with three birdies from the 11th .
Angel Yin birdied the 18th hole to seal the first victory of the session for the United States, taking another 8-7 lead, moments after the third match saw Europe tied at 7-7.
Madelene Sagström and Emily Kristine Pedersen beat Rose Zhang and Andrea Lee 2 and 1
In the third match, the United States won the first hole thanks to an eagle by Zhang on that par four. Europe won the third and fourth holes, before Lee tied it up with a birdie on the sixth.
Pedersen holed a long putt on the seventh to take the duo 1 up and leave the leaderboard completely blue with Europe up in all four matches at that stage.
Then, the Dane holed a birdie putt from the gree
n at the 15th to go 2 up.
The score was tied 7-7 with two games left to play.
Carlota Ciganda and Linn Grant beat Danielle Kang and Lilia Vu 2 & 1
In the final match, the level of golf was extraordinary. Europe was eight under par through nine holes and only 1 over the American duo. Linn Grant opened with six straight birdies.
The Spanish star also played his part under the pressure of representing his home country. On the 6th hole his birdie put his team 1 up.
Ciganda then holed another huge putt on the seventh before Danielle Kang responded with a birdie of her own to reduce the deficit.
Kang birdied the short 10th to tie the match before Grant enthusiastically made a long putt for birdie on the 11th to put herself 1 up again.
Ciganda’s par on the 12th was enough to take Europe 2 up.
The Europeans lost on the 13th, but a great birdie putt by Ciganda on the 16th put the home team 2 up with two holes to play. A shout of “Let’s go!” from the Spanish star drove the spectators wild.
The 17th hole ended in a tie and Europe won, bringing the overall score to 8-8 heading into tomorrow’s singles.
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Pau Gasol, spectator of height
Having the best Spanish basketball player of all time as an ambassador is a marvel. Pau Gasol, a devoted golfer for a couple of years, not only promised to spread the goodness of the Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin, but also promised to try to go to the tournament to live the experience. And as he is a guy of his word, this Saturday he has been just another spectator.
Well, not just another spectator, because his presence does not go unnoticed; first, for reasons of height, of course, and secondly because everyone wants to complete their visit to the Solheim with a photo with him. If enjoying the best golf in the world is already something magnificent, immortalizing the day with a photo with Carlota and Pau, two stalwarts of our sport, is priceless.
In his visit to Finca Cortesin, the former NBA player has followed the Fourball of the Navarre golfer and wished her luck for the decisive day on Sunday.
The ‘Solheim Cup Experience’ starts in the Plaza Andalucía
The Plaza Andalucía is the point where the ‘Solheim Experience’ begins. This large common space is the one that welcomes the fans with a large giant screen next to a stage that in downtime entertains the day. There the visitor can taste some Andalusian tapas, or a hamburger, whatever everyone prefers, or have a soft drink.
In addition to the purely gastronomic, the square houses a store of Solheim products -who does not want to take home a polo shirt, a flag or any other souvenir of the event- and a series of stands with fun experiences for the spectator. All this while following the game on the screen and sharing the nerves with fans from all over the world. Plaza Andalucía, ‘the place to be’.
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The United States wants the fourth
The fourth on European soil, it is understood. To date and not counting the present one, eight editions of the Solheim Cup have been played in Europe, two in Scotland (1992 and 2019) and Sweden (2003 and 2007), and one in Germany (2015), Ireland (2011) and Wales (1996) with a balance of five local wins and three foreigners. With his remarkable performance in the Foursomes he has set course for what could be the fourth, but he still needs to finish it off… and that is the most complicated part.
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Finca Cortesín, a sustainable venue
This edition of the Solheim Cup has opted to become the most environmentally friendly of all those that have been held and, in addition, shows the way forward for the future. To get this far, Finca Cortesín was chosen as an environmentally friendly venue, which has led it to achieve the recognized GEO Certified® label.
Thanks to the use of 100% recycled water from the nearby town of Manilva, the resort also received the ACOSOL quality seal in May 2022, making it the first golf course in Spain to receive this recognition.
In addition to the golf course, where Finca Cortesín has installed bermuda grass on the greens, reducing water consumption by 30%, the resort has also implemented other initiatives, such as the creation of beehives to promote the necessary pollination.
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Caps, polo shirts and tiles, the most popular items at the official tournament store
“Between 25 and 40% of the people who come in buy,” says Javier Espejo, head of the official tournament store. “The average ticket is between 85 and 110 euros, depending on the day. Approximately 6,000 people enter the store every day. What they buy most are caps, polo shirts and golf accessories. There is a lot of variety and people are delighted with everything. We have 25 volunteers a day in the store led by Luz, Agus, Sara and Alba, who do a spectacular job,” explains Espejo.
“John Solheim himself came to the store and was fascinated with some tiles that are made by Alicia Guerrero, an artist from Malaga. They are numbered from 1 to 200, there is one model per team and he came specifically looking for numbers 1 to 5 of both designs,” he added.
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