Power pairing of Hull and Woad can't spark Europe on Day 1 of the Solheim Cup

DEN BOSCH, Netherlands (AP) — Lottie Woad and Charley Hull are the power pairing of the European team.

They couldn't provide a spark at the Solheim Cup on Day 1.

Captain Anna Nordqvist put them together twice Friday, sending them out first in the morning and the afternoon in the hope they would give Team Europe early momentum in each session.

They managed only a half point in their two matches combined as Day 1 ended with the teams tied at 4-4.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz beat Hull and Woad 4 and 3 in morning foursomes. In the afternoon, Woad, the world No. 7, and No. 8 Hull were 3-up after 11 holes against Yealimi Noh and Angel Yin before the Americans rallied to tie the match.

Still, Hull was upbeat after the afternoon contest.

“Yeah, I like matches like that. They’re really interesting. It was good fun. There was a lot of birdies,” Hull said.

All four players were battling the elements in an afternoon that saw a mixture of sunshine and showers pass over Bernardus Golf in the southern Netherlands.

“There was some tricky holes out there, some long iron shots middle of the round because it started raining and the wind got up a little bit, and then now the sun’s come out,” Hull said.

Yin had been a big question mark for the Americans after missing two months with severe stomach issues and only returning for the final event before the Solheim Cup — where she shot 81-76 to miss the cut.

But she and Noh never quit against the Europeans.

“The front, Angel really kept it together with three birdies. My putter was kind of cold and she was keeping us in the game,” Noh said. “We made mistakes but on different holes, and just had a really good rhythm out there.”

Woad said it was a good contest, but American grit earned a half point.

“We had the lead for most of it,” she said. "But they kept on fighting back.”

See AP’s full golf coverage here

Nelly Korda of the United States, left, and Lauren Coughlin bump fists on the sixth green during the Solheim Cup in Den Bosch, Netherlands, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Lottie Woad of Europe of Europe reacts after her tee shot on the third hole during the Solheim Cup at the Bernardus Golf course in Den Bosch, Netherlands, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Charley Hull of Europe plays from rough on the third hole during the Solheim Cup at the Bernardus Golf course in Den Bosch, Netherlands, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Charley Hull of Europe watches her approach shot into the second green during the Solheim Cup at the Bernardus Golf course in Den Bosch, Netherlands, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — In Nashville, Tennessee, the Republican-dominated state government and Democrat-controlled city government are engaged in an ugly battle for control of the city's airport.

But there's one thing the two sides can agree on: Nashville International Airport should be renamed to honor Tennessee's favorite daughter, Dolly Parton.

Lydia Popovich, a Parton superfan who started a petition for the name change in 2025, said on Friday that Parton had gracefully batted down the idea of naming the airport after her, as she did with many other proposed honors during her lifetime. That includes a bill brought by Tennessee lawmakers in 2021 to place a statue of her on the Capitol grounds.

Parton asked lawmakers to withdraw the bill but expressed a hope that it might happen “somewhere down the road several years from now or perhaps after I’m gone if you still feel I deserve it.”

After Parton's death two weeks ago, the airport naming idea seemingly caught fire, with Popovich's petition reaching more than 175,000 signatures — not that the officials competing to run the airport needed the push.

At a meeting Friday of the state-controlled Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, a motion directing the airport CEO to begin the renaming process was unanimously approved by board members praising Parton to the heavens. Airport officials said the change could take a year or more and involves working with Parton's estate to determine how they might split profits from merchandise sales, among other things.

There are two Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authorities: one run by the state and the other controlled by the city, a bifurcated regulatory system that was created in 2023 amid a partisan dispute between the GOP-run state and the Democratic-run city. Who actually controls the airport has been in dispute ever since, with competing boards taking the reins only to be deposed as courts rule and are overturned.

Despite the acrimony, Nashville's Democratic Mayor Freddie O'Connell and the competing, city-controlled Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority are also in support of the name change, according to O'Connell spokesman Alex Apple.

“The FAA's going to get two votes from two boards, both in favor,” Apple said.

The situation is ironic, and it's hard to imagine that Parton would approve.

Stuart McWhorter, a member of the state-controlled board and deputy to Tennessee's Republican Gov. Bill Lee, briefly mentioned the dispute at the Friday meeting. He suggested that in the spirit of Parton “we can get beyond the litigation and get back to working together.”

Popovich, who attended the Friday meeting and spoke in favor of the proposal, was in tears after the unanimous vote in favor.

“It's been a really beautiful experience, especially as you're grieving someone that was such a great loss,” she told The Associated Press. “She's the best of Tennessee. She's the best of the humans on the planet. She was this magical person that provided light and guidance to all of us.

“Unfortunately she's left us, but now we get to celebrate her and get to tell the world how much Tennessee loved her.”

A view of the Nashville International Airport is seen Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)