EARLY BOUT OF THE JITTERS
IT’S HELL FOR HULL
Charley Hull misses a putt on the 18th as she and partner Azahara Munoz halve their match — after being four up with six to play but Europe go into day two with a 41/2-31/2 lead over the USA at Gleneagles.
Most young bridesto-be spend the days before their wedding living on their nerves. they don’t normally do so in the heat of a sporting firmament quite like the solheim Cup.
this time next week, Charley Hull will walk down the aisle to marry her sweetheart, ozzie smith. Whatever she goes through, it may not surpass the rollercoaster of emotions the 23-year-old Englishwoman experienced during the final 90 minutes of an enthralling first day.
Four up with six holes to play, she and her partner, Azahara Munoz, looked set to complete their second victory of the day. But, one by one, the holes whittled away until, in the evening shadows, in front of all their team-mates and a joyous opposition, they had to settle for a dramatic halved match.
Hull lipped out with a birdie putt at the 17th and was beyond her tether when another did the same at the last, letting out a loud four-letter expletive. After this, her wedding will feel like a breeze.
sometimes fourballs can feel like they’re taking all day to complete but they often draw to a nerveracking conclusion. this was no exception.
Europe looked set for a spectacular first day and a three-point lead with Hull and Munoz well clear and Carlota Ciganda and Bronte Law pulling out heroics ahead of them. two down with four to play, they were one ahead playing the 18th.
Credit the Americans for the nerveless putts they holed in both matches. First, Lexi thompson holed from 20ft at the 18th to earn a share of the spoils for her and Jessica Korda against Ciganda and Law. then Brittany Altomare did the same against Hull and Munoz to ensure the other Korda sister, her partner Nelly, was equally happy.
America, therefore, ended the day the happier team by far, trailing by just a slender point. Europe’s captain Catriona Matthew did her best to stay positive.
‘It was a bit disappointing at the end but it’s not as if we handed either match to them, the Americans made good putts in both,’ she said. ‘If you’d offered me any sort of lead at the start of the day, I’d have taken it.’
one positive was the assured performance of the tall and elegant Anne van Dam, the longest hitter in women’s golf. there are some who believe the 23-year-old from the Netherlands has the best swing in the game — man or woman — and there will be a few more after she did most of the scoring alongside suzann Pettersen to record a fourballs win, silencing the previously too-vocal Danielle Kang and her partner, Lizette salas.
When it was over, Pettersen was only too happy to say to Van Dam, thank you Ma’am. ‘I was all over the place, so it made her performance even more impressive, she was brilliant,’ said the Norwegian.
For America, alongside the stirring late deeds, last-minute replacement Ally McDonald and Angel Yin demolished the scandinavian pair Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall 7&5 to tie the biggest win in solheim history.
It would be wrong to say they gathered from first light to watch the opening blows in the 16th edition — they gathered long before that. In glorious scenes reminiscent of the 2014 Ryder Cup, not only was the 2,500 capacity grandstand behind the first tee packed, the opening fairway was lined several people deep as well.
After all the songs and colour, the first match out proved worthy of the attention. Here we had Europe’s best player Ciganda, alongside the irrepressible Law. sent out to get that vital first point on the board, they were up against rookie Marina Alex and fiercely competitive Morgan Pressel.
It was the latter dictating the match as it came to the final stages. the Europeans were hanging on by their fingernails.
one up playing the 17th, Pressel seemed to have played the decisive blow when she hit a marvellous tee shot to 10ft. Law struck a decent blow herself to 25ft.
Here was a classic match-play moment. Ciganda holed her lengthy putt to send the vast crowd into rapture. Alex missed.
History was made when the Kordas became the first sisters to play together and they almost recorded a record-breaking success. they were six up after eight holes against Caroline Masson and the out of sorts Jodi Ewart shadoff, before seizing the first point with a 6&4 success. that was swiftly cancelled out by Georgia Hall and Celine Boutier, before Hull and Munoz won their foursomes.
Not much between the teams at the end of the day, therefore. Did anyone expect anything else? As well as that late collapse, the worry for Europe was the sight of two or three players so palpably out of form. they will need to build on their lead today before everyone plays in the 12 singles tomorrow.