GAINESVILLE, Va. — The U.S. Team now leads Europe by four points after the Saturday morning foursomes matches at the Solheim Cup and will be working to eat into that deficit on Saturday afternoon in the four-ball session. And with four more matches on deck at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club before the Sunday singles, it’s still very much anyone’s game despite the somewhat large lead America has taken.

Take a deeper look at just one of the afternoon four-ball matches at the Solheim Cup:

Match 15, 12:35 p.m. – Carlota Ciganda/Emily Pedersen (EUR) vs. Ally Ewing/Lexi Thompson (USA)

Carlota Ciganda and Emily Pedersen will be combining their efforts on Saturday afternoon as they battle against American Solheim Cup veterans Ally Ewing and Lexi Thompson in match 15 in Gainesville, Va.

Surprisingly, Spain’s Ciganda has yet to earn any points in her seventh Solheim Cup appearance. Having played in only two matches thus far, the 34-year-old lost her Friday foursomes match 3 and 2 to Sarah Schmelzel and Lilia Vu alongside Linn Grant and then dropped her Saturday foursomes match with partner Emily Pedersen, losing 1 down to Allisen Corpuz and Nelly Korda. Before the two losses, Ciganda had an 11-8-4 record in the Solheim Cup, earning 13 total points for the Europeans over the years, six of which have come in the four-ball format. On the LPGA Tour this season, Ciganda has picked up three top-10 finishes, the best of which is a tie for third that came at the Ford Championship presented by KCC. She has earned two top-15 results on the Ladies European Tour this year, most notably tying for fourth at the Aramco Team Series – Tampa.

Pedersen put up the only foursomes point for the Euros on Friday at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, winning her match with Maja Stark 2 up over Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho. Pedersen and Stark then dropped their afternoon four-ball match against Lauren Coughlin and Sarah Schmelzel, falling to the rookie American duo 3 and 2. She then lost on Saturday morning with Ciganda, a result the pair will work to erase from their minds as they ready themselves to fight for a four-ball point in the second Saturday session. Pedersen is competing in her fourth Solheim Cup and had earned a 5-6-1 record ahead of this week in Virginia. The 28-year-old has collected two top-10 results on the LET this season, doing the same on the LPGA Tour, the best of which is a tie for sixth at the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro.

Ewing may have ultimately lost her first two foursomes matches alongside Jennifer Kupcho, but the Solheim Cup veteran has brought plenty of energy to the American squad this week at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. The Mississippi native is making her fourth Solheim Cup appearance and had posted a 3-8-1 record in her three previous starts in the biennial team competition ahead of the 2024 edition of the event. This is her first time playing in a four-ball match in the 2024 Solheim Cup as Ewing sat during yesterday’s afternoon session, and the fiery American will be working hard to post her first point for the Red, White and Blue alongside Thompson. Ewing has earned six top-10 finishes over the course of the 2024 season, five of which came consecutively from May to July and the most notable of which is a tie for third that came at the U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally.

Thompson earned her first point of the 2024 Solheim Cup alongside local hero Lauren Coughlin on Saturday morning, as the pair defeated Georgia Hall and Maja Stark 4 and 3 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. The seven-time Solheim Cup participant will now work to keep that momentum rolling on Saturday afternoon in the four-ball session, having lost her first four-ball match of this year’s biennial team competition 6 and 5 to Anna Nordqvist and Madelene Sagstrom alongside Alison Lee. Ahead of this week, Lexi had earned 12.5 points for the Americans with a 9-7-7 record, one that she will work to better with just two sessions to go in Virginia. Thompson has earned seven top-25 results on Tour this season, four of which were top-10 finishes and the most notable of which is a tie for ninth that came at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

For Saturday morning foursomes results and a full list of the Saturday afternoon foursomes matches, please click here.

Featured Saturday Four-ball Match: 2024 Solheim Cup

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