Leona Maguire has gone five-for-five in each of her two Solheim Cup appearances to date, but she won’t make it three-in-a-row as she’s not been selected for the opening foursomes matches in Virginia.
European captain Suzann Pettersen has instead elected to send out her two rookies in the opening set of matches, with Olympic Silver Medallist Esther Henseleit being taken under Charley Hull’s wing and they’ll face world number one Nelly Korda and 2023 U.S. Women’s Open champion Allisen Corpuz who also played the opening session in 2023.
Switzerland’s Albane Valenzuela has been paired with major champion Celine Boutier, and Rose Zhang and debutant Lauren Coughlin will provide the American opposition in match number two.
An all-Scandinavian pairing in Denmark’s Emily Pedersen and Sweden’s Maja Stark go out third up against Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho, while second-Solheim Cup-appearing Swede Linn Grant and the experienced Carlota Ciganda will form Europe’s anchor pairing in the first session and they’ll face world number two Lilia Vu and another American debutant in Sarah Schmelzel.
That leaves Maguire, Anna Nordqvist, Georgia Hall, and Madalene Sagstrom sitting out the opening session for the Europeans, and Lexi Thompson, Megan Khang, Andrea Lee, and Alison Lee on the sidelines for the U.S.A.
But it’s the Maguire omission that is the most controversial of the early calls, coming just two days after vice-captain Mel Reid, with whom Maguire was paired in her maiden Solheim Cup appearance, declared that she was known as ‘MVP’ within the European team room.
“We have a great team,” Pettersen explained. “That is the best thing about it. All the players stand behind the decisions that are made. Of course, players are disappointed when they don’t get paired straight off the bat but this is not a sprint. There are lots of matches to be played. I am sure you will see Leona on the course but it is just about how it all pieced together this time around. She has a great record and she is a feisty Solheim player. We all know that but you will see her.
“You have got to look at a little bit of gut feel. To sit Leona in a foursome, it’s a little bit of a tough call but at the same time, you have to go with your gut. You have other ones who are very aligned on paper.”
The action gets underway at 12:05 pm, with matches going out at 12-minute intervals.
- Match 1: Esther Henseleit and Charley Hull vs Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz
- Match 2: Celine Boutier and Albane Valenzuela vs Rose Zhang and Lauren Coughlin
- Match 3: Emily Pedersen and Maja Stark vs Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho
- Match 4: Linn Grant and Carlota Giganda vs Lilia Vu and Sarah Schmelzel
