OVERALL SCORE – EUROPE 4.5, USA 3.5
FRIDAY FOUR-BALL RESULTS – EUROPE 2, USA 2
Suzann Pettersen/Anne van Dam (EUR) def. Danielle Kang/Lizette Salas (USA), 4 and 2
Ally McDonald/Angel Yin (USA) def. Anna Nordqvist/Caroline Hedwall (EUR), 7 and 5
Charley Hull/Azahara Munoz (EUR) halved with Nelly Korda/Brittany Altomare (USA)
Carlota Ciganda/Bronte Law (EUR) halved with Jessica Korda/Lexi Thompson (USA)
FRIDAY FOURSOMES RESULTS – EUROPE 2.5, USA 1.5
Carlota Ciganda/Bronte Law (EUR) halved with Morgan Pressel/Marina Alex (USA)
Georgia Hall/Celine Boutier (EUR) def. Lexi Thompson/Brittany Altomare (USA), 2 and 1
Jessica Korda/Nelly Korda (USA) def. Caroline Masson/Jodi Ewart Shadoff (EUR), 6 and 4
Charley Hull/Azahara Munoz (EUR) def. Megan Khang/Annie Park (USA), 2 and 1
SATURDAY FOURSOMES PAIRINGS (all times local; Gleneagles is five hours ahead of Eastern)
8:10 a.m. – Anna Nordqvist/Anne van Dam (EUR) vs. Morgan Pressel/Marina Alex (USA)
8:22 a.m. – Georgia Hall/Celine Boutier (EUR) vs. Lizette Salas/Ally McDonald (USA)
8:34 a.m. – Charley Hull/Azahara Munoz (EUR) vs. Danielle Kang/Megan Khang (USA)
8:46 a.m. – Carlota Ciganda/Bronte Law (EUR) vs. Jessica Korda/Nelly Korda (USA)
FRIDAY FOUR-BALL RECAPS
Suzann Pettersen/Anne van Dam (EUR) def. Danielle Kang/Lizette Salas (USA), 4 and 2
The fire of Suzann Pettersen may have met its match in European rookie Anne van Dam. Both players brought out the roars from the Scottish fans with big putts and even bigger fist pumps in their 4-and-2 victory over Danielle Kang and Lizette Salas.
Pettersen, just two months returned from maternity leave, showed her formidable match-play form with a birdie at the par-3 fourth hole to go 1 up over the Americans. Two holes later, it was van Dam’s turn to show off, adding a birdie of her own at No. 6 to go 2 up. The pair stretched the advantage to 4 up through 13 holes and while Salas made birdie at No. 14, it was not enough to stop the European victory. Pettersen and van Dam played to 6-under par, with match-play concessions, and carded just a single bogey.
“We managed to ham and egg it, which is all you've got to do,” said Pettersen, who is now 17-11-6 in Solheim Cup competition. “It's not easy, that front nine – cross-winds, wind was up from yesterday. And when you have a superstar like this who just bombs it, you've got to be very happy.”
The victory is Pettersen’s ninth career four-ball win, tying her with Laura Davies for the most four-ball victories for Team Europe. It was also her 12th four-ball match played, moving into solo third all-time for the Europeans behind Davies (19) and Annika Sorenstam (14).
Ally McDonald/Angel Yin (USA) def. Anna Nordqvist/Caroline Hedwall (EUR), 7 and 5
The American duo of Ally McDonald and Angel Yin never trailed in a runaway 7-and-5 victory over Swedish stalwarts Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall. McDonald and Yin birdied the first three holes to race to a 3-up lead. They played to 7-under par through 13 holes, with match-play concessions, without a single bogey on their card.
“I was just fired up, ready to go,” said McDonald, who was named to the team on Tuesday when Stacy Lewis withdrew with a back injury. “Just to be paired with Angel and just do our best out there and get a point on the board. I was just super excited and not knowing a few days ago obviously if I was going to be on the team, this was big, very exciting.”
Nordqvist and Hedwall, normally a power pairing for Europe, never found their rhythm in the afternoon match. Their single birdie at No. 12 won them their only hole, but an ensuing bogey at No. 13 closed out the American victory.
The 7-and-5 win for McDonald and Yin ties the largest four-ball victory margin in Solheim Cup history. In 1998, Pat Hurst and Rosie Jones earned a 7-and-5 victory over Lisa Hackney and Sophie Gustafson.
Charley Hull/Azahara Munoz (EUR) halved with Nelly Korda/Brittany Altomare (USA)
It looked like the Europeans would walk away with another full point in the afternoon four-ball session when Charley Hull and Azahara Munoz took a 4-up lead with six holes to play. But U.S. Captain Juli Inkster saw a strong fight from two of her rookies as they clawed their way back to earn a critical halve in the final match of the day.
Nelly Korda and Brittany Altomare were 3 down with three holes to play but pulled together three clutch birdies in the final three holes to earn a crucial half-point that put the U.S. down just one point heading into Saturday’s matches.
The 18th hole provided plenty of drama. With Hull awaiting a birdie putt to win the match, Altomare sank a 25-foot birdie putt that left all the pressure on the Englishwoman. Hull ran her putt just by and the Americans celebrated two comeback halves in the final two matches of the day.
“I just knew I had to be aggressive because if I missed it, she was going to make it,” said Altomare, who made her 25-footer before Korda needed to try her own 10-footer.
Carlota Ciganda/Bronte Law (EUR) halved with Jessica Korda/Lexi Thompson (USA)
To cap an incredible battle that saw only two holes halved, Lexi Thompson nailed a 15-foot birdie at No. 18 to eke out a crucial half point for Team USA. Thompson and Jessica Korda battled back and forth with Carlota Ciganda and Bronte Law all afternoon, with a 2-up lead for the Americans at No. 15 the only time either team was able to pull clear by more than one hole.
Faced with that two-hole deficit, Law fired up the crowd with a birdie at No. 15 to pull within one. Ciganda birdied No. 16 to square the match and drained yet another birdie at No. 17 for a 1-up lead, bringing the Scottish fans to their feet with an emphatic fist pump.
“We were walking down 15 and we had to do something,” said Law. “We had to start making birdies. So we did. Just put a good putt on and I've been rolling it really well. Just missed the putt the hole before, so really wanted to make up for that. And obviously we were running out of holes, so we had to make some moves.”
But after Thompson’s birdie putt dropped on 18, Law’s birdie attempt to win the hole and the match just missed, giving the hole to the Americans.
“We try to play our best,” said Korda. “I didn't have that many great shots at the beginning. And Lexi was really there for me mentally, being a partner to lean on. And I was there for her when she needed me.”
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