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Sunday golf: Americans beat Europe to capture Solheim Cup. Hojgaard rallies at Irish Open

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Sunday golf: Americans beat Europe to capture Solheim Cup. Hojgaard rallies at Irish Open

Gainesville, Va. — Lilia Vu made a 2-foot birdie putt on the final hole, and the United States won the Solheim Cup for the first time since 2017, beating Europe on a tense Sunday of singles matches at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.

Megan Khang, Rose Zhang and Allisen Corpuz moved the U.S. to the brink of victory with blowout wins, and the Americans got just enough from the back half of their lineup to prevent Europe from capturing the cup for a record fourth straight time.

The final score: United States 15 1/2, Europe 12 1/2, the biggest margin since the Americans won by five points seven years ago in Iowa.

The Americans got the final points they needed when Andrea Lee, Lauren Coughlin and Vu each rallied to secure a half-point. Zhang led the Americans by going 4-0. Coughlin, a Solheim Cup rookie playing in her home state, also went unbeaten at 3-0-1.

The U.S. improved its overall lead in the series to 11-7-1.

European Tour

Newcastle, Northern Ireland — Rasmus Hojgaard birdied his last three holes for a 6-under 65 to win the Irish Open and hand Rory McIlroy another dose of disappointment before a raucous gallery at Royal County Down.

McIlroy had a two-shot lead on the back nine until Hojgaard put together a stunning charge down the stretch to win for the fifth time on the European tour and deny McIlroy a victory in his home country.

The 23-year-old Dane got up-and-down from a bunker for birdie on the short par-4 16th, he holed a bunker shot for birdie on the 17th to take the lead, and then blasted out of the rough onto the front edge of the green for a two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th.

McIlroy fell two shots behind when he three-putted for bogey from 25 feet on the 17th. Needing an eagle on the par-5 18th to force a playoff, he hit 7-iron to 10 feet and missed the cut. He shot 69 to finish one behind.

Hojgaard became the youngest player since Jose Maria Olazabal in 1989 to collect five wins on the European tour.

LIV Golf League

Bolingbrook, Ill. — Jon Rahm ended his first year in the LIV Golf League by closing with a 4-under 66 to win the final individual event and the season points title with its $18 million bonus.

Rahm missed a pair of short birdie putts on the back nine that kept Joaquin Niemann and Sergio Garcia in the mix. But then he holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole that gave him a three-shot going to the last at Bolingbrook Golf Course.

Rahm won for the second time in the Saudi-funded league, adding to his title in England last month. In between those wins, he lost in a playoff to Brooks Koepka.

Niemann, a two-time winner at the start of the season, was the only player who could have challenged Rahm for the season title. He opened with two early birdies but never could get ahead, closing within two shots after a birdie on the 15th and a big par save on the 16th.

Niemann shot 66, while Garcia shot 68. They tied for second.

PGA Tour Champions

Sioux Falls, S.D. — Steve Stricker ended a four-hole playoff with a shot out of the rough that banged into the pin and set up a tap-in birdie, his third straight Sanford International victory and his first PGA Tour Champions title of the year.

Stricker had a two-shot lead until a three-putt bogey on the 18th hole at Minnehaha Country Club for a 3-under 67. Richard Green made a 12-foot birdie putt in the final group for a 69 to force extra holes.

After they each made par for three holes, Stricker pulled his 3-wood into deep rough and hammered a wedge that landed in the front and raced up the steep slope, smacking the pin in the middle and settling 2 feet away. Green missed his 8-foot birdie putt.

Stricker now has four victories at the Sanford International, and he became the first player to win a tournament three straight times on the PGA Tour Champions and the PGA Tour (John Deere Classic from 2009 through 2011).

Korn Ferry Tour

Franklin, Tenn. — Paul Peterson made back-to-back birdies late in the final round Sunday and played bogey-free the rest of the way for a 4-under 66 and a one-shot victory in the Simmons Bank Open.

The victory for the 36-year-old American moved Peterson to No. 15 in the points list as he closes in on a PGA Tour card for the first time. The top 30 from the Korn Ferry Tour earn PGA Tour cards for next year.

Matt Atkins, who tied for the 54-hole lead with a 61 on Saturday, closed with a 67 to finish one shot behind. Five others finished another shot behind.

Peterson won for the first time on the Korn Ferry Tour. He previously has twice on the European tour (Czech Masters) and Asian Tour (Myanmar Open).

Other tours

Ingrid Lindblad won her first tournament as a professional, closing with a 5-under 67 for a two-shot victory over Ana Belac in the Tuscaloosa Toyota Classic. The former No. 1 player in the women’s amateur ranking, Lindblad moved to No. 7 on the Epson Tour points list in her bid for an LPGA card. … Aguri Iwasaki closed with a 6-under 66 for a two-shot victory over Kota Kaneko and Ryutaro Nagano in the ANA Open on the Japan Golf Tour. … Matt Oshrine closed with a 2-under 69 for a one-shot victory in the Portugal Open at Royal Obidos, the first Challenge Tour title for the American who played at Duke. … Jean Hugo closed with an 8-under 63 and beat Ruan Korb in a playoff to win the Bain’s Whisky Ubunye Championship on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa. … Akie Iwai rallied from a four-shot deficit with a 6-under 66 for a one-shot victory over Miyuu Yamashita in the Sumitomo Life Vitality Ladies Tokai Classic on the Japan LPGA. … Seunghui Ro closed with a 5-under 67 for a one-shot victory in the OK Savings Bank Open on the Korea LPGA. … Adilson Da Silva of Brazil closed with a 4-under 68 and beat Peter Baker with a birdie on the first playoff hole to win the European Legends Cup in Spain.

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