Team Europe and Team USA began the Solheim Cup on Friday with an electric first-tee atmosphere at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands, where nearly 3,000 spectators packed a horseshoe-shaped grandstand long before daylight, with more fans lining the fairway beyond.
Europe captain Anna Nordqvist had predicted before the tournament that the first tee would be "the place to be in the golfing world," and the scene that greeted the opening matches proved her right.
United States captain Angela Stanford danced onto the tee after emerging from the players' tunnel, a walk Europe's Charley Hull had said earlier in the week felt like "entering an arena." Vice-captains from both teams worked to whip the crowd into an even louder frenzy.
A carnival atmosphere from dawn
One sign in the stands read "Dutch courage, European glory," as the host nation created an atmosphere the article's author likened to a football stadium or a darts event rather than a golf course.
Nordqvist's vice-captain Anne van Dam grabbed a microphone to lead the crowd through "Links Rechts," a song that became the unofficial anthem of the Dutch national football team during the World Cup and involves fans bouncing in unison to one side and then the other.
"It doesn't get better than this," Nordqvist said of the atmosphere. "The crowds are amazing. I don't think I've ever seen this many Europeans on the first tee."
Costumes, chants and a 7.20am party
Fans dressed in banana costumes, stars-and-stripes suits and golf bucket hats were jumping together as early as 7.20am. The singing and dancing built as the start of play approached, with "Let's go Europe, let's go!" chants echoing around the grandstand before Europe's walk-up anthem, the Final Countdown, blared from the speakers.
Team USA's opening pairing of Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz arrived almost 10 minutes early to soak up the noise, and were soon joined by Hull and rookie Lottie Woad. Every pairing's arrival was met with smoke cannons, huge cheers and chants borrowed and adapted from other sports.
Silence falls for the opening drives
A "quiet please" message appeared on the big screens as the first tee shots approached, cutting short a Corpuz-inspired take on the Beatles' "Hey Jude" so players could hit in silence. Woad rolled in the opening birdie of the event on the first green.
The party resumed straight after, with Team USA vice-captain Paula Creamer, wearing her cowboy hat, and fan favourite Megan Khang among those showing off their dance moves.
Songs for Maguire and Henseleit
The crowd sang "Ohhhh, Leona Maguire" to the tune of Kings of Leon's "Sex on Fire," while Desmond Dekker's "Israelites" was reworked to fit Esther Henseleit's name.
Fans also revived the "Europe's on fire, USA is terrified" chant heard during last year's Ryder Cup win at Bethpage Black, adapting it with a Maguire twist to recognise the Irishwoman, who holds one of the best winning percentages in Solheim Cup history.
Ciganda leads the rookies as Europe grabs first point
Carlota Ciganda was the only European player with previous Solheim Cup experience to sit out the opening session, but she wore a Solheim Cup beanie and showed the rookies how to enjoy the week, dancing arm in arm with debutants during "It's Raining Men" and a Vengaboys track.
Maja Stark and Linn Grant ran out to the crowd and swayed to ABBA's "Dancing Queen" while waiting for their match to start. Twelve-time Solheim Cup player Dame Laura Davies said of the fans: "These people absolutely make it for the players. Without these brilliant fans, it's just not the same."
To the tune of Baby Shark, fans sang "Maja Stark, doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo" as Stark and Grant went on to beat Andrea Lee and Lindy Duncan for Team Europe's first point of the contest.
Rain fails to dampen spirits as session ends level
Early sunshine gave way to persistent light rain, but strong galleries kept lining the fairways through a tight opening session that finished tied at two points apiece.
"We had incredible support out here," Maguire said after her win. "They were really spurring us on, especially when that weather got bad and miserable. It was that extra little bit we needed to grind it out."
The noise reportedly climbed even higher during the afternoon session, which former major winner Karen Stupples described as "insane."
