Solheim Cup: Nothing to separate teams as final day perfectly poised

An inspired European Saturday afternoon performance has the Solheim Cup level with just Sunday’s singles session to play.

A halved session in the morning’s foursomes meant Europe still trailed by two points, but a 3-1 win in the afternoon fourballs saw the match turned on its head.

It’s a remarkable scoreline considering the four-point deficit that the home team faced after the first session on Friday morning.

Captain Suzann Pettersen showed faith in her big names, with Leona Maguire, Emily Pedersen and Linn Grant all heading out for their fourth consecutive match, meaning by the end of tomorrow, they’ll have completed all five sessions.

However, it turned out to be a wise decision, with all three racing out of the traps in their matches.

• Solheim Cup: How to watch

It was a day where neither team was able to grab the initiative in the opening session of alternative shot. Three of the four matches were incredibly close, while the USA partnership of Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz ran out 5&3 winners over Georgia Hall and Celine Boutier.

In the opening match, Pedersen and Carlota Ciganda never trailed, and were in the lead the whole of the back nine, recording a 2&1 win.

The second match of the day saw the fiery pairing of Megan Khang and Lexi Thompson come out on top. With the match tied after 16 holes, Anna Nordqvist found the bunker with her tee shot on the par-3 17th, leading to a costly bogey. In the end, both pairs made a par on the last hole, giving the Americans a 1up win.

• WATCH: Pedersen’s epic Solheim Cup ace

In the final match of the third session, a clutch display of putting from Maja Stark on the 17th green and Linn Grant on the 18th green was enough for the Swedish pair to get a point, leaving the Europeans with a two-point deficit heading into the afternoon.

It was an afternoon where Team Europe came out of the traps quickly, knowing that anything other than a win in the session would leave a tough task tomorrow.

For a brief period around halfway through each match, Europe were in the lead in all four afternoon matches, and it really looked like they could completely flip the match on its head.

But in team match play, it’s never that easy, and Team USA mounted an admirable fightback over the closing holes at Finca Cortesin.

Although Charley Hull and Leona Maguire dispatched Nelly Korda and Ally Ewing on the 15th green, it was the only match where Europe were comfortable winners.

• Lewis: Big opportunity missed with Ryder Cup

After being two down with eight to play, the team of Angel Yin and Cheyenne Knight looked to be up against it, but they promptly turned their match around, largely thanks to a sensational tear from Yin.

The supremely confident 24-year-old made five birdies on the back nine, including a two putt four on the final hole, to restore USA’s lead once again to 8-7.

As that was happening, there was handshakes on the penultimate green. The Scandinavian pair of Pedersen and Sagstrom came out on top in a tight match, with Pedersen holing a lengthy birdie putt from just off the 15th green.

That left just the final match, Carlota Ciganda and Linn Grant versus Danielle Kang and Lilia Vu.

Grant, who will play all five sessions in this year’s Solheim Cup, produced a sensational display of golf that would have comfortably won most other matches. That, coupled with a quality birdie on the 16th from her Spanish compatriot meant a par was good enough on the 17th green to secure a win.

All that took the match to 8-8, a scorline that is scarcely believable after an American whitewash in the first session of the week.

Tomorrow, all 24 players will take to the demanding Finca Cortesin layout, with the match firmly in the balance.

Speaking after the conclusion of play, European captain Pettersen creditted “women power” with the team’s performance, but stressed that it was time for her team to regroup.

“They’ll be ready to go in the morning,” said the captain.

It’s all to play for at Finca Corstesin.

Lewis Fraser As bunkered’s Performance Editor, Lewis oversees the content that’s designed to make you a better player. From the latest gear to tuition, nutrition, strategy and more, he’s the man. A graduate of the University of Stirling, Lewis joined bunkered in 2021. Formerly a caddie at Castle Stuart Golf Links, he is a member of Bathgate Golf Club where he plays off four.

Performance Editor