Solheim Cup golf 2024: USA v Europe in day two foursomes – live

Sarah Schmelzel misses her second short putt of the morning, and the USA have three-putted from 20 feet on 3. It’s a horror start for the hosts in the anchor match. Europe were out of position there, too, Anna Nordqvist putting from the fringe and clanking her effort six feet past. But after Lilia Vu got uncharacteristically sloppy with her birdie putt, rolling it three feet past, Celine Boutier tidied up to put the hurt on Schmelzel. That’s a big mistake by the USA. But it’s a big escape for them in the lead match, where Nelly Korda nearly holes out from a bunker, but still leaves Emily Pedersen with a snaky downhill eight-footer for the hole. Pedersen’s effort looks in, but drifts left at the very last and lips out. Hole tied. Still, this is a good morning’s work for Europe so far.

Corpuz/Korda v Ciganda/Pedersen 2UP (6)
Ewing/Kupcho A/S Henseleit/Hull (5)
1UP Coughlin/Thompson v Hall/Stark (4)
Schmelzel/Vu v Boutier/Nordqvist 3UP (3)

Lauren Coughlin can’t make her birdie from the edge of the 4th green. But Georgia Hall can! She walks in her gentle left-to-right slider, and then leaves the green with slightly more spring in her step, having halved the USA’s lead in the third match.

Corpuz/Korda v Ciganda/Pedersen 2UP (5)
Ewing/Kupcho A/S Henseleit/Hull (4)
1UP Coughlin/Thompson v Hall/Stark (4)
Schmelzel/Vu v Boutier/Nordqvist 2UP (2)

Lexi Thompson’s tee shot at the par-three 4th is straight at the flag, 15 feet shy, only just on the green. Maja Stark gets a couple of feet inside. Nearly everyone coming up just a little short on this hole today. Putting contest upcoming!

Carlota Ciganda may be famously slow, but Nelly Korda takes her sweet time over a fairly straight uphill birdie effort on 5. It’s time wasted, because she doesn’t give it enough of a clack, the ball stopping one turn short. Chance for Emily Pedersen from eight feet … but her effort lips out. Both teams will rue those missed putts. They were extremely gettable.

Corpuz/Korda v Ciganda/Pedersen 2UP (5)
Ewing/Kupcho A/S Henseleit/Hull (4)
2UP Coughlin/Thompson v Hall/Stark (3)
Schmelzel/Vu v Boutier/Nordqvist 2UP (2)

Anna Nordqvist powers an iron from thick rough down the left of 2 to 15 feet. With the USA out of position – Sarah Schmelzel drove into a bunker – Celine Boutier has a birdie putt for the win. It stays out on the right, but the par will be enough anyway, because Lilia Vu’s ten-foot right-to-left tickle shaves the lip but doesn’t drop. A strong start for Europe in the anchor match … but it’s also a fast start for the USA in the third match, as Lexi Thompson’s pin-high arrow is enough to win the hole at 3.

Corpuz/Korda v Ciganda/Pedersen 2UP (4)
Ewing/Kupcho A/S Henseleit/Hull (4)
2UP Coughlin/Thompson v Hall/Stark (3)
Schmelzel/Vu v Boutier/Nordqvist 2UP (2)

Charley Hall draws a high 9-iron into the par-three 4th. That’s delicious, five feet past the flag. Jennifer Kupcho, perhaps slightly spooked by the quality of Hall’s shot, hits an uncharacteristically weak effort that topples back off the front of the green. Still half a chance for Ally Ewing to rake in a birdie putt from the fringe, but it’s serious advantage to Europe.

Sarah Schnelzel pulls a short par putt wide left on 1. Or was it a misread? Either way, both she and her partner Lilia Vu look genuinely shocked that it didn’t drop. It costs USA the hole. Better news for the hosts on 2, where Lexi Thompson walks in a 12-foot birdie putt and calmly punches the air. A decent enough start for Europe, all told, though this is golf and there’s many a slip.

Corpuz/Korda v Ciganda/Pedersen 2UP (4)
Ewing/Kupcho A/S Henseleit/Hull (3)
1UP Coughlin/Thompson v Hall/Stark (2)
Schmelzel/Vu v Boutier/Nordqvist 1UP (1)

Neither Nelly Korda nor Emily Pedersen can find the green at the par-three 4th, but their partners will be putting nevertheless, from the apron at the front. Allisen Corpuz up first; her putt is never going in, but it’s close enough to secure par. That gives Carlota Ciganda a chance to put Europe three up with an uphill 20-footer … but that’s always staying out on the left. A half, and the teams move on.

From a fairway bunker on 2, Esther Henseleit whisks Europe’s second to five feet. It’s enough to win the hole. More good news on 3, where Allisen Corpuz’s wedge isn’t particularly good, leaving Nelly Korda with a long par putt. She can’t make it, racing well past the cup, and with Emily Pedersen having sent Europe’s second to ten feet, the hole is conceded. Back on 1, Coughlin elects to chip rather than putt, and it’s a good decision as she sends a crisp clip to kick-in distance. Hole halved.

Corpuz/Korda v Ciganda/Pedersen 2UP (3)
Ewing/Kupcho A/S Henseleit/Hull (2)
Coughlin/Thompson A/S Hall/Stark (1)
Schmelzel/Vu v Boutier/Nordqvist

The anchor match is out and about. Anna Nordqvist tees off and immediately looks at her partner with concern. Where did that ball go? She lost it in the sun. No worries, it’s straight down the middle. Nordqvist was serenaded with a chorus of “We love you Anna, we do, oh Anna we love you!” but that’s nothing compared to the mighty roars ringing in Lilia Vu’s ears as she splits the fairway. It’s all happening, then!

Lexi Thompson and Maja Stark take turns to send average approaches into 1. Thompson on the fringe front right, from where Lauren Coughlin will give Georgia Hall a read, because Europe’s ball is in the road, ten feet further up.

The third match takes to the first tee, and there’s a particularly rousing ovation for Lexi Thompson, playing in her last Solheim Cup. Georgia Hall hits a decent drive down the left but the ball scampers into the thicker rough. Lauren Coughlin splits the fairway. Up around the green, Esther Henseleit splashes out of the bunker to six feet, but Charley Hull pulls her par putt and the hole goes to the USA. Better news for Europe on 2, where Emily Pedersen converts the birdie chance set up for her by Carlota Ciganda, and the visitors hit the front in the lead match.

Corpuz/Korda v Ciganda/Pedersen 1UP (2)
1UP Ewing/Kupcho v Henseleit/Hull (1)
Coughlin/Thompson v Hall/Stark

In the lead match, both teams are out of position down the right of the 2nd hole. Allisen Corpuz does well to find the front portion of the green, though that’ll leave Nelly Korda a long putt; Carlota Ciganda punches a low one over a hillock and rolls up to ten feet. She knew that was good, twirling the club and skipping up the bank to take a look at the result of her work. Advantage Europe in the upcoming putting contest.

Charley Hull catches her first shot of the day, from the fairway bunker down the right of 1, a bit thin. It squirts into the greenside bunker front right. Jennifer Kupcho, who was flinging darts at the flag on the back nine yesterday morning, sends her approach into the middle of the green. Another look at birdie for the USA from 30 feet.

The second match turns up for work. Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho bounce into view, high on life despite being the only US foursomes match to lose yesterday morning. A chance to right that wrong against Esther Henseleit and Charley Hull. Plenty of red USA foam fingers waggling around in the stand. Respectful silence as Henseleit finds the same bunker Carlota Ciganda found; bedlam as Ally Ewing finds the same left-hand side of the fairway Allison Corpuz did. Away they go. Meanwhile up on the green, neither Corpuz nor Ciganda get particularly close with their birdie attempts, but the teams agree to pick up the coins and move on. Nice and friendly, though you won’t expect similar three-footers to be conceded if this goes up 18.

Corpuz/Korda A/S Ciganda/Pedersen (1)
Ewing/Kupcho v Henseleit/Hull

Nelly Korda up first. She safely finds the centre of the green, pin high from 200 yards with a hybrid. The putt will be from around 30 feet, but a half-decent birdie chance nonetheless. Emily Pedersen has to respond, and does so by sending Europe’s second over the flag. The ball rolls apologetically into the fringe, but doesn’t topple down the bank; that would have been a cruel outcome for such a fine shot. Europe are left with a birdie putt of about 20 feet. The first putting contest of the day coming right up!

Carlota Ciganda takes the opening shot of the second day … and sends Europe’s ball into the big bunker down the right of the fairway. That’s not ideal, but neither is it the worst place to be. Allisen Corpuz, to wild cheers orchestrated by her parter Nelly Korda, larrups confidently down the fairway. Another magnificent atmosphere in the grandstands, which this morning look a lot fuller than early doors yesterday, the shuttle buses hopefully running on time now.

Good morning Virginia! The lead match takes to the first tee, and when Europe emerge from the tunnel, Emily Pedersen bows and scrapes theatrically in front of Carlota Ciganda. The Spaniard, last year’s hero, is the beating heart of Team Europe in the time-honoured Seve / Sergio / Ian Poulter style, so no wonder Suzann Pettersen has sent her out in the first match, in the hope of setting a tone that will spark a comeback. There’s also the small matter of Ciganda’s notoriously glacial speed of play – she was put on the clock at one point yesterday – and the fact that her sort of methodical style gets right under Nelly Korda’s skin. Korda loves to get on with it; will this disrupt her flow? The world number one won her matches 3&2 and 6&4 yesterday, so I guess Pettersen had to try something. Let’s see how this pans out, then!

Preamble: USA 6-2 Europe