Date: 22-24 September Venue: Finca Cortesin, Spain |
Coverage: Daily live text and radio commentary, plus television highlights on BBC Two on Friday and Sunday and BBC Four on Saturday at 19:00 BST |
Georgia Hall and Celine Boutier will renew their unbeaten partnership when Europe’s Solheim Cup defence gets under way on Friday at Finca Cortesin, Spain.
England’s Hall and Boutier of France, who won three points together in 2019, play Americans Danielle Kang and Andrea Lee in the alternate shot foursomes.
Out-of-form American Lexi Thompson will hit the opening tee shot at 07:10 BST.
“She’s got the most experience on our team and I wanted her to hit the first shot,” said US captain Stacy Lewis.
Lewis has left world number two Lilia Vu and 20-year-old rising star Rose Zhang on the sidelines, saying: “I don’t see anyone playing all five sessions.”
Thompson, playing with Megan Khang, faces Swedish rookies Linn Grant and Maja Stark in a format that sees each pair use just one ball between them.
“I don’t see them as rookies. They’ve been asking for it, so here we go,” was European captain Suzann Pettersen’s answer when asked about her logic of putting two new players out first.
Hall had said earlier in the week that she was keen to rekindle her partnership with Boutier, having won all three points when they were paired together at Gleneagles four years ago, before picking up a half point in their one outing together at the 2021 contest.
“The last two Solheim Cups we’ve been paired together, we’ve never lost a match,” Hall, who has won seven and a half points from 13 matches, told BBC Sport.
“Celine has had such a great season [winning three LPGA Tour titles, including her first major]. We get on great so it would be great to be partnered with her.”
Ireland’s Leona Maguire, who went unbeaten in scoring four and a half points in Europe’s 15-13 victory on her debut in Iowa in 2021, will partner Anna Nordqvist, who is playing in her eighth Solheim Cup.
They take on world number three Nelly Korda and reigning US Open champion Allisen Corpuz.
In the bottom match, England’s Charley Hull, playing in her sixth Solheim Cup, and Dane Emily Pedersen, who secured the winning point in 2021, face Ally Ewing and rookie Cheyenne Knight.
Pettersen revealed that she had told her team of Friday’s opening pairings on Monday but that she had not yet decided who would be playing together in the afternoon fourballs – where each golfer plays their own ball.