Power pairing of Hull and Woad can’t spark Europe on Day 1 of the Solheim Cup

DEN BOSCH, Netherlands (AP) — Lottie Woad and Charley Hull are the power pairing of the European team.

They couldn’t provide a spark at the Solheim Cup on Day 1.

Captain Anna Nordqvist put them together twice Friday, sending them out first in the morning and the afternoon in the hope they would give Team Europe early momentum in each session.

They managed only a half point in their two matches combined as Day 1 ended with the teams tied at 4-4.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz beat Hull and Woad 4 and 3 in morning foursomes. In the afternoon, Woad, the world No. 7, and No. 8 Hull were 3-up after 11 holes against Yealimi Noh and Angel Yin before the Americans rallied to tie the match.

Still, Hull was upbeat after the afternoon contest.

“Yeah, I like matches like that. They’re really interesting. It was good fun. There was a lot of birdies,” Hull said.

All four players were battling the elements in an afternoon that saw a mixture of sunshine and showers pass over Bernardus Golf in the southern Netherlands.

“There was some tricky holes out there, some long iron shots middle of the round because it started raining and the wind got up a little bit, and then now the sun’s come out,” Hull said.

Yin had been a big question mark for the Americans after missing two months with severe stomach issues and only returning for the final event before the Solheim Cup — where she shot 81-76 to miss the cut.

But she and Noh never quit against the Europeans.

“The front, Angel really kept it together with three birdies. My putter was kind of cold and she was keeping us in the game,” Noh said. “We made mistakes but on different holes, and just had a really good rhythm out there.”

Woad said it was a good contest, but American grit earned a half point.

“We had the lead for most of it,” she said. “But they kept on fighting back.”

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