Carlota and Julia, together in a demanding debut against Korda

The Solheim Cup 2026 arrives completely open to the fourballs on Friday afternoon. Europe and the United States are tied 2-2 after a morning foursomes session with two perfectly distinct halves. The Americans struck first and decisively took the first two matches, but Maja Stark and Linn Grant, first, and Leona Maguire and Esther Henseleit, later, allowed Anna Nordqvist‘s team to restore parity.

With that scenario, the captains have shown their cards for a second session in which Carlota Ciganda and Julia López Ramírez will come into play. And they will do so together. Nordqvist has decided to pair her two Spanish players in the final match of the afternoon, from 13:50, against a very demanding pairing: Nelly Korda and Lauren Coughlin.

It will be a very special debut for Julia, who will play the first match of her career in a Solheim Cup alongside Carlota, who is making her eighth appearance. Experience and debut together to close a day that could begin to shape the course of the competition.

And opposite them will be a Korda arriving with sky-high confidence. The American and Allisen Corpuz secured one of their team’s two points in the morning, defeating with authority by 4&3 Charley Hull and Lottie Woad. Coughlin also already knows what it is to win at Bernardus: alongside Alison Lee she prevailed 3&2 over Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Céline Boutier.

In other words, Carlota and Julia will face two players coming off wins in the foursomes.

Nordqvist keeps her faith in Woad despite the 4&3

One of the European captain’s most significant decisions is to keep her confidence in Lottie Woad intact. The young Englishwoman is set to be one of Europe‘s big stars of the future and Nordqvist made her intentions clear from the outset, pairing her with Charley Hull in the match that opened the Solheim against Corpuz and Korda.

The experiment did not go well. The American pair dominated the match and closed their victory 4&3 at the 15th hole. However, Nordqvist is not changing her plans. Hull and Woad will pair again and will once more be tasked with opening the session, at 13:05, against Yealimi Noh and Angel Yin, two of the Americans who rested in the morning.

Boutier and Madsen will also have an immediate chance to redeem themselves. After losing 3&2 to Alison Lee and Lauren Coughlin, the captain keeps the pairing to face from 13:20 Megan Khang and Alison Lee.

Europe came back from a 0-2

Nordqvist’s confidence in some of her pairings comes after a morning that started on the back foot. The United States secured the first two points and had an unsettling 0-2 on the scoreboard.

But Europe reacted in the two matches remaining on the course. Henseleit and Maguire defeated by 2 up Andrea Lee and Lindy Duncan, while Stark and Grant completed the European comeback by beating Rose Zhang and Jennifer Kupcho 3&2.

Curiously, none of the four Europeans who managed to score points will play in the afternoon. Nordqvist gives Henseleit, Maguire, Stark and Grant a rest and opts to refresh half of her line-up.

Thus, in the third match, at 13:35, Mimi Rhodes and Nastasia Nadaud, both making their debuts, will come in against Allisen Corpuz and Auston Kim. Corpuz will play again after her emphatic victory alongside Korda.

The four Europeans who were left out in the morning —Ciganda, Julia, Rhodes and Nadaud— enter the fourballs, while Hull, Woad, Boutier and Madsen will play a second session despite none of them managing to score in the foursomes.

Nordqvist‘s read seems clear: full rest for the four players who secured Europe’s two points and an immediate second chance for the four defeated, now accompanied by the four who had not yet debuted.

Korda repeats, but changes partner

Angela Stanford also makes important changes. The four Americans who rested during the foursomes —Yealimi Noh, Angel Yin, Megan Khang and Auston Kim— come into play.

Of the eight who took part in the morning, Korda, Corpuz, Alison Lee and Coughlin will play again. And Stanford breaks up the two pairings that had given The United States its points. Corpuz will play with Kim, Korda will do so with Coughlin and Alison Lee will partner Khang.

With the 2-2 on the scoreboard, the first day will practically start again at 13:05. And for Spanish golf it will save the best for last: Carlota and Julia, the veteran and the debutant, together against Korda and Coughlin.

Friday afternoon fourballs