Solheim Cup Opens to "Insane" First-Tee Party at Bernardus — SkimNews
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- Bernardus Golf's horseshoe-shaped first-tee grandstand held nearly 3,000 spectators before daylight on Friday, with Europe captain Anna Nordqvist calling it "the place to be in the golfing world" and later saying she'd never seen so many Europeans on the first tee
- The opening session ended tied at 2-2 between Team Europe and Team USA, with rookie Lottie Woad rolling in the event's opening birdie on the first green
- Europe vice-captain Anne van Dam grabbed the microphone to guide the Dutch crowd through "Links Rechts," the unofficial anthem for the Dutch football team during the World Cup, with fans in banana costumes, stars-and-stripes suits and bucket hats bouncing together at 7:20am
- Musical adaptations filled the grandstands, including "Ohhhh Leona Maguire" to Kings of Leon's "Sex on Fire," a Beatles "Hey Jude" twist for Allisen Corpuz that was paused for tee-shot silence, and "Maja Stark, doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo" set to Baby Shark as Stark and Linn Grant earned Europe's first point
- Angela Stanford danced onto the tee from the tunnel, a walk Charley Hull said was like "entering an arena," while 12-time Solheim Cup player Dame Laura Davies said "These people absolutely make it for the players"
- The afternoon noise drew an "insane" verdict from former major winner Karen Stupples, with the weather shifting from early sunshine to persistent light rain but the spirits of Maguire's gallery undimmed as she ground out a win
Why it matters: The 20th Solheim Cup in the Netherlands produced a 2-2 opening-session deadlock, meaning Europe's bid to regain the trophy is right on track heading into Day 2 — and the record crowd energy, which Stupples called "insane," directly fueled **Maja Stark and Linn Grant's** first-point fightback in worsening weather.
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