US retain four-point lead as Europe show Solheim fight

Europe won Saturday’s final two points to keep alive their hopes of lifting a record fourth successive Solheim Cup on a day when American caddies ripped off their shirts to celebrate winning a hole.

England’s Charley Hull and Georgia Hall shredded nerves but claimed victory on the 18th hole, while Carlota Ciganda and Emily Pedersen were also triumphant as Europe ended the day 10-6 down.

It represented a solid return for the Europeans, who were completely outplayed on Friday when they trailed 6-2 but matched the Americans in both sessions on Saturday.

However, they will need to match the Solheim Cup record of coming from four points down in Sunday’s 12 singles to retain the trophy.

“We have a chance, the miracle of Medinah is coming,” said Ciganda, referring to the European’s 2012 Ryder Cup victory when they too overturned a four-point deficit in the US.

As holders, Europe require eight points from the 12 available on Sunday to keep the cup, while the US need to reach 14½ points to win the trophy for the first time since 2017.

‘We’ve given ourselves a chance’

And European captain Suzann Pettersen was buoyant, stating: “We’ve seen miracles before.

“Medinah. Germany 2015. We’ve given ourselves a chance. As long as there’s hope, these girls will fight.

“10-6? It’s absolutely doable. We just have to see if we can recharge, wake up fresh and on any given day these girls can take each other down.”

The US mantra all week has been “unfinished business”, referring to the run of two defeats and last year’s 14-14 tie in Spain that saw Europe retain the trophy.

And while captain Stacy Lewis said that “the Europeans played a lot better”, she was “really, really happy with the day, and to keep the same lead”.

And when asked how close the US were to victory, she replied: “We’re almost done.”

‘We celebrated the way we wanted to’

Europe can take inspriation from the US team coming from 10-6 down in Germany in 2015 to emerge victorious after a dominant 8½-3½ performance in the singles.

But this American juggenaut will take some stopping in front of expectant fans at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia.

While Friday morning felt largely subdued after transportation issues meant thousands of spectators missed much of the opening foursomes session, since then, this exclusive course 40 miles west of Washington DC has been a riot of colour and noise.

And no celebratory roar has been louder than the one for Alison Lee’s eagle two on the second in Saturday’s fourballs.

But in extraordinary scenes, the caddies of Lee and Megan Khang removed their tops in celebration after Lee holed an 86-yard wedge from the fairway.

Their actions served to further whip-up already frenzied American fans, revelling in a performance that looks set to see them win the trophy for the first time since 2017.

According to American television, Khang’s caddie, Jack Fulghum, had suggested on the tee that if any player holed out the caddies would pay them $500. Lee, whose caddie is Taylor ‘Shota’ Takada, responded by saying the caddies had to take off their shirts.

And lo, it came to pass.

“It was completely surreal but we celebrated just the way we wanted to,” said Lee.

A bemused Madelene Sagstrom looked on in bewilderment as she tried to prepare to hit her shot to the green.

Sagstrom, who along with fellow Swede Anna Nordqvist, were Europe’s solitary fourball winners on Friday, never recovered and were three down at the turn and lost 4&3.

That made the score 10-4 because it came moments after Andrea Lee and Rose Zhang completed a dominant 6&4 victory over Linn Grant and Celine Boutier.

Zhang, the former world amateur number one, holed a bunker shot on the 13th to put the US five ahead with five to play and they closed out the win at the following hole.

But, in scenes reminiscent of Medinah, Europe won the final two points.

Ciganda, who last year secured the point in her Spanish homeland to earn a 14-14 tie and keep the trophy in European hands, teamed up with Pedersen for a 2&1 win over Ally Ewing and the retiring Lexi Thompson.

And Hull and Hall kept their nerve down the last to secure a vital sixth point, seeing off Allisen Corpuz and world number two Lilia Vu.

Europe perhaps could and should be a point better off after Ciganda and Pedersen started quickly against Nelly Korda and Corpuz in the morning alternate shot foursomes.

The Europeans raced into a two-hole lead after three but, when given the opportunity to hammer home their advantage, Denmark’s Pedersen crucially missed short putts on the fifth and sixth holes that would have put them almost out of sight.

They would be made to pay as world number one Korda birdied the 10th and the US pair were level on the 13th after Pedersen missed another short putt.

The momentum was with the Americans and they also had an outstanding piece of good fortune on the par-five 14th, when Corpuz mis-hit a second shot towards the green. The ball did not got more than five feet off the ground but bounded through the rough to finish 20 feet from the hole.

“I told her that could be the top three best shots I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” laughed Korda, who knocked in the eagle putt to give the US a lead they would not lose.

Behind them, Hull and Esther Henseleit won three on the trot from the sixth to take control of match two, while Nordqvist and Boutier were six ahead after a sensational opening nine holes.

The only red on the board was in match three where Thompson and Lauren Coughlin were always ahead of Hall and Maja Stark as they cantered to a 4&3 victory to put the US 7-2 ahead.

Shortly after, Nordqvist and Boutier, who had been helped by US rookie Sarah Schmelzel missing three short putts on the opening four holes, closed out their own 4&3 win.

That left Hull and Henseleit scrapping for a point against Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho.

The Americans gnawed away at the European lead on the back nine with Ewing holing a huge putt on 15 to get within one and, when Hull cleared the green by 20 yards with her second to the par-four 17th, the match was back all square.

But the Europeans snatched a crucual point after Henseleit’s delightful approach went close enough to be conceded for a birdie and Kupcho was unable to hole from a bunker.