Afternoon Four-Ball
One of the undoubted stars of the opening day was 15-year-old American Asterisk Talley, who combined with Jasmine Koo to deliver an emphatic 5&4 victory over Mimi Rhodes and Lorna McClymont. In a high-quality match, Talley and Koo reeled off nine birdies in 14 holes, giving the USA the first point of the afternoon and a 3-1 lead. The American pair were four up after six holes before GB&I cut the deficit by half by the 8th hole. The 2023 American Junior Solheim Cup duo then made birdies on the 10th, 11th and 13th to pull away.
Hannah Darling and Aine Donegan recorded six birdies and an eagle of their own as they edged to a one-hole win over Auburn teammates Anna Davis and Megan Schofill, with the latter holing out from a bunker at the 9th for an eagle as the match ebbed and flowed.
There was more drama in the final match of the day as Byrne and Woad, the leading player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking®, bravely triumphed. Woad was in fine form as the pair notched eight birdies versus Catherine Park and Zoe Campos, the top-ranked USA player at fourth in the world, before Byrne saved the best for last. Just off the green at the side of the 17th, Byrne, who had holed a 35-foot birdie putt on the previous hole, chipped in for a winning birdie to the biggest roar of the day.
Morning Foursomes
In the opening morning foursomes, the USA claimed a one-point advantage as an emphatic win for Melanie Green and Rachel Kuehn was followed by two dramatic halved matches.
The R&A Women’s Amateur Champion Green and three-time Curtis Cup player Kuehn stormed to a 6&4 victory over sisters Patience and Mimi Rhodes in match one, aided by a terrific performance on the greens.
The Rhodes siblings had plenty of chances of their own but their putts just would not drop, enabling their American opponents to put the first point on the board.
While that contest was wrapped up on the 14th green, there was considerably more drama in the second and third games.
Irish duo Beth Coulter and Donegan won the 18th to secure a valuable half-point in a topsy-turvy match against Koo and Campos, which saw both sides lead on three occasions.
The final foursomes saw both teams pull off terrific comebacks before finishing up all-square. Woad and Byrne were three down after nine to Park and Talley but then won five of the next six holes – birdieing four of them – to impressively move two up with three holes to play.
The exhilarating run from the GB&I pair featured a near-ace for Woad on the 15th, where her tee shot came to rest a foot from the hole. However, Park and Talley then responded with a wonderful fightback of their own, winning both the 17th and 18th to salvage an unlikely half-point and ensure the USA ended the session leading by a point.
Quotable
Sara Byrne, Great Britain and Ireland
"Honestly, it's a dream finish that anyone could ask for. But I was waiting for something to drop and it finally did at the right time, thankfully.
“I kind of went a bit crazy and it was so nice having the whole team right behind us there cheering us all on. I think we had everyone, all my friends and my family. I think every spectator was there with our whole team, which was really, really special. It's a memory I'll never forget.
"I think this is just giving us momentum to put the foot down. It's still only day one and we still have two days left to go. It's nice to have a little bit of momentum behind us but we have a big job to do still."
Rachel Kuehn, United States of America
“I don't think any of us could have dreamed it up any better. The weather has been absolutely perfect. The golf course is immaculate in layout and condition.
“Obviously we're up against a crowd for the GB&I team but we have some friends and family here so the atmosphere is incredible. I think we got out of the gates running in the morning, made a birdie on the first and we never really took our foot off the gas. Melanie played great and I tried to hold up my end of the bargain.”
