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Maguire (left) and Esther Henseleit celebrate their victory. Alamy Stock Photo
From The 42Golf
Leona Maguire delivers again for Europe who share spoils with US early in Solheim Cup
Records fell as the sides finished Friday’s morning session locked at 2-2 in the Netherlands.
Europe 2
USA 2
LEONA MAGUIRE DELIVERED again at the Solheim Cup, with her European team all square with the USA after the opening session at the Netherlands’ Bernadus Golf Course on Friday.
Maguire and Esther Henseleit held their nerve on the 18th to earn a 2-up victory over Andrea Lee and Lindy Duncan, having never trailed their match.
Cavan native Maguire improved her Solheim record to 9-3-1, her 73.1% win rate taking her beyond Janice Moody as the most successful individual European player to have played in at least five matches in the competition.
“When the weather got bad and miserable, it was that extra little bit to grind it out,” Maguire told Sky Sports after her victory alongside Germany’s Henseleit. “The crowds were amazing this morning. A few new chants and a few more songs that we haven’t heard, so that was keeping us entertained.”
Maguire and Henseleit left the competition tied at 2-2 after the US had raced into an early lead in the morning session.
Earlier, world number one Nelly Korda and partner Allisen Corpuz notched a record fifth straight Solheim Cup win as a pairing.
The morning foursomes saw Korda and Corpuz — unbeaten in the Solheim Cup — take on the top-ranked Europeans, Charley Hull and Lottie Woad, in a mouthwatering first pairing.
Woad, playing in her inaugural Solheim Cup, gave the raucous crowd plenty to cheer as she drained her first putt to put the Europeans in the box seat.
But the Americans hit back the very next hole and an exquisite Corpuz chip on the fifth handed them the lead for the first time.
Korda holed a medium-range putt to go two up at the sixth and the pressure appeared to be telling on the Europeans, as Hull hooked her next tee shot wildly into the rough, resulting in another hole for the US.
The Americans seized a five-hole lead with five to play at the 13th, as Woad and Hull again failed to rescue the situation from the rough.
A nerveless putt by Hull on the 14th clawed back a hole but it was merely delaying the inevitable, as Corpuz rolled in a tap-in to take the match-up 4&3.
The fifth win for Korda and Corpuz tied the record for points as a pairing previously held by Europe’s Alison Nicholas and Solheim Cup legend Laura Davies.
They are the first in Solheim Cup history to win five matches in a row.
“I always make the joke to Nelly that it’s so nice to be 30 yards ahead of where I would be on my own drive. It makes the hole so much easier,” said Corpuz, in reference to Korda’s driving ability.
“There’s still a lot of work to do, but it’s nice to see some red on the leaderboard,” said Korda.
Behind them, the US pairing of Alison Lee and Lauren Coughlin never looked in difficulty against Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Celine Boutier, taking the match 3&2.
The final match listed saw Maja Stark and Linn Grant beat Rose Zhang and Jennifer Kupcho 3&2 to grab the first point for Europe.
Grant produced the moment of the morning, with an extraordinary chip into the cup from the bunker on the ninth.
Maguire and Henseleit then dragged Europe level in the only match to reach the 18th hole.
Only twice in the previous 19 Solheim Cups have the two teams been tied after the opening session.
The US are aiming to win their first Solheim Cup on European soil since 2015, to extend their series win from their current 11-7 advantage.
The format is the same as the men’s equivalent, the Ryder Cup, with fourballs following the foursomes on Friday.
Saturday sees eight more points up for grabs in foursomes and fourballs, before the crunch singles on Sunday, which will feature all 12 players on each team.
The European team was cheered on by a boisterous crowd at the Bernardus course, undeterred by drizzle as the Dutch celebrated hosting their first Solheim Cup.
Waving a banner reading “Dutch courage, European glory” fans in fancy dress serenaded the players on the first tee, who sang and danced before getting down to business.
– © AFP 2026, with reporting by Gavan Casey
Written by AFP and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.
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