Europe hopes for minor miracle as USA retains Solheim Cup lead | Solheim Cup

On a Saturday evening in Medina in 2012, Europe’s male golfers found their pulse. A seemingly insurmountable 10-4 deficit became 10-6 by the end of the game. Everyone knows what happened next as Europe turned the tables on an epic Sunday against the USA.

For Sergio García, Luke Donald, Ian Poulter and Rory McIlroy, read Carlota Ciganda, Emily Pedersen, Charley Hull and Georgia Hall. Victories for two European four-ball pairs have given Virginia faint hope of retaining the Solheim Cup. The US needs four and a half singles points to win. Medina’s ghost means Stacey Lewis and her own teammates won’t be celebrating just yet.

For so long, the 19th Solheim Cup has turned ugly. It was ugly for the European team. In a humorous Saturday afternoon episode, it was ugly for any television audience.

Allison Lee has 86 yards to go and hits her approach shot toward the 2nd hole. Lee and Megan Kang faced Anna Nordqvist and Madeleine Sackstrom of Europe. Lee’s wedge shot curled into the hole for an eagle in two, understandably sparking wild celebrations. Two American caddies decided to make a point by taking off their shirts, tying their stomachs and throwing them in the middle of the fairway. Looks can kill; Sackstrom, who had yet to play, was understandably furious. The Solheim Cup has plenty without such attention-seeking awkward moments. What next? Does the bum bear chin on the 18th green?

The problem for Europe is that they had precious little sporting response to American bravado until the late flurry of Hull and co. Leona Maguire, star of the recent Solheim Cups, didn’t hit a ball in anger on Saturday. The Irish golfer will return to singles with one tournament under his belt, an unusual situation given his previous showings at the event.

A 20-foot gong putt on the 11th is guaranteed to stay above the ground until it drops into the hole after several seconds of waiting. This type of break has fallen the hosts’ way several times. Andrea Lee’s bunker shot on the 13th bounced off North Carolina before hitting the flagstick and bouncing into the cup. Andrea Lee and Rose Zhang defeated Lynn Grant and Celine Boutier, 6&4. Alison Lee and Kang hit the winning goal from the 2nd confusing moment. “It was one of the best moments of my life,” Lee said. “We celebrated as we wished.” dear god Nordqvist and Sagstrom never progressed in this matchup. The handshakes took place on the 15th green, with the US now within 10 points that they couldn’t add. Pedersen’s famous approach in the 17th game saw the Dane and Siganda win 2&1 against Ally Ewing and Lexi Thompson. The final action of the day belonged to Hull and Hull, who withstood a stiff challenge from Allison Corpus and Lilia Wu to claim a point on the 18th.

A 2-2 tie in the morning four-a-side signaled Europe’s progress after two 3-1 session defeats on Friday. Nellie Korda, Lewis had the luxury of being rested for four balls, combined with Corpus to beat Pedersen and Siganda 1. Europe responded through Esther Henseleit and Hull, who defeated Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho by a single score. The last two matches were very comfortable for the winners. Thompson and Lauren Coughlin added another American point with a 4&3 win over Maja Stark and Hall. Europe’s 4&3 win belonged to Nordqvist and Boutier, who defeated Lilia Vu and Sarah Schmelzel. The USA held an 8-4 lunchtime advantage, which provided European captain Suzanne Pietersen’s first tee dance, as the teams returned to a slightly more whimsical trend.

Day two kicked off with LPGA Tour President Molly Marcoux Saman’s Me Culpa. Thousands of fans missed the opening tee shots on Friday due to severe problems with shuttle buses, with some forced to queue for three hours before being transported to the Solheim venue.

“There were miscalculations and the planning was inadequate for the day,” he said. “All you can do in life is make sure you fix it, get better, and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”