2015 The Solheim Cup
Golf Club St. Leon Rot, Germany
Saturday Four-Ball Recap - 3 Matches in Progress
September 19, 2015

The Europeans were still celebrating, the crowds were still roaring, and the Americans were officially on life support when the afternoon four-ball matches began Saturday. Suzann Pettersen, the unquestioned leader of the European contingent, had just nailed a five-foot birdie at the last to complete an unthinkable comeback – or “complete robbery” as she put it – stealing five of the last seven holes from Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel for a 1-UP win. Sandra Gal, the German native and unquestioned home crowd favorite, followed up Pettersen’s putt with a group behind with one of her own – a five foot par putt at the last that ensured the Europeans a full point and a 3-1 Saturday foursomes record. If there was a breaking point for the Americans in this year’s Solheim Cup, it looked like those two putts would be it, the final European death knell on their way to a three-peat.

But somehow the Americans found something in the afternoon four-ball matches and have at least made it interesting heading into Sunday. Only one match finished (a 3&2 victory by Cristie Kerr/Lexi Thompson over Carlota Ciganda/Azahara Munoz) and the three others were suspended due to darkness and will resume on Sunday morning at 8:45am local time. Singles will begin at 10:40am as regularly scheduled.

Kerr and Thompson, who are still undefeated this week with a 2-0-1 record, went 10-under par through 16 holes. The Europeans currently hold an 8-5 lead but the Americans have 1-UP leads in two of the three remaining four-ball matches.

“So we were down pretty good, 8-4,” said captain U.S. captain Juli Inkster. “And then we come in the afternoon, I thought our girls really played well. Lexi and Cristie have kind of been our horses. We got them out early. They didn’t play this morning, so I wanted to get them out there.”

Stacy Lewis and Gerina Piller have led throughout their match with Caroline Hedwall and Caroline Masson. Lewis ensured that lead would remain when she buried a deep putt for birdie at the 16th hole to halve the Europeans, who had a conceded tap-in for birdie. Lewis and Piller, who won 5&4 in the morning foursomes, are looking to complete an undefeated day as a pairing when they head back to the 17th tee with a 1-UP lead.

“Gerina was hitting the ball so good,” said Lewis. “She played well yesterday. To see her make those couple of putts this morning, I was like, let’s go, let’s get to the first tee right now. I was pumped up, I was excited. We’re 4-down, but it doesn’t seem like that much. We’ve got an opportunity in the morning to really flip this thing in our favor. It’s amazing how the team hasn’t gotten down.”

The other two remaining matches both will return to the 16th tee box Sunday with a 1-UP lead being held by both an American and European pairing. Catriona Matthew and Karine Icher led by three holes through as many holes but failed to hold on through the front nine as the American duo of Brittany Lang and Lizette Salas tied it up just five holes later. The lead waffled back and forth until Matthew converted a 10-foot birdie at the par-3 15th to ensure a European lead entering the final three holes when play was suspended.

Playing in the group just behind that match, Alison Lee and Brittany Lincicome mutually agreed with Suzann Pettersen and Charley Hull to play one more hole and finish the par-3 15th. Lee surely will be glad she did, putting her approach right beside Hull’s ball, just 10 feet below the hole, and then holing her putt for birdie while Hull missed.

Match 13

MATCH 13 RECAP - FOUR-BALL - 2:00 p.m.

Cristie Kerr/Lexi Thompson 3&2 win over Carlota Ciganda/Azahara Munoz
U.S. Team captain Juli Inkster sent out her best pairing to this point – Thompson and Kerr – as the first group of the afternoon wave, needing a major spark to her American’s chances. She got it Saturday in four-ball in which Thompson and Kerr were electric, pouring in birdies on the Spanish duo of Ciganda and Munoz. When either one of the Americans were struggling, the other picked their partner up and in 16 holes Sunday, the American duo was 10-under-par in the four-ball format with 5 birdies apiece. The American tandem remained undefeated for The Solheim Cup thus far with a 2-0-1 record, and Kerr provided her best golf of the week in Saturday’s four-ball matches.

QUOTABLE
“We knew our team going up on the board would be huge. We knew what we had to do and we knew it wouldn’t be easy. They played great, too.” - Cristie Kerr

MATCH 14 RECAP - 3:00 p.m.

Catriona Matthew/Karine Icher 1-UP through 15 vs Lizette Salas/Brittany Lang
This is the match that could leave everyone wondering what could have been. After Matthew and Icher stormed out of the gates to a 3 UP lead through three holes, the Americans birdied four of the next holes to even the match by the time it hit the ninth tee. For the next seven holes, there were a plethora of missed opportunities for both teams with repeated birdie putts racing past the hole. The Europeans were able to birdie the 10th, but then watched in agony as they let the Americans off the hook on the way in. The 13th and 14th were especially painful for the Europeans as they both missed makeable, short birdies at the 13th to allow Team USA to tie it and then Icher missed a short four foot birdie at the 14th that would have taken the lead. But when it seemed the frustration had reached a boiling point, Matthew poured in a 10-foot birdie at the par-3 15th to ensure they again held the lead when the teams mutually agreed to wait until Sunday morning to finish the match. When play resume the Europeans struck early with a birdie on the 16th to take a 2 UP lead. Europe won 2&1.

Match 15

MATCH 15 - FOUR-BALL - 3:15 p.m.

Alison Lee/Brittany Lincicome 1-UP through 15 vs Charley Hull/Suzann Pettersen
Just before the veil of darkness closed on Saturday’s afternoon fourball matches, Alison Lee poured in a critical 10-foot birdie at the par-3 15th to regain a 1-UP lead on Hull and Pettersen. But if the furious morning rally in which Hull and Pettersen were four holes down with seven to play and still won, taught us anything, it’s that the dynamic European duo never stops fighting and is never out and they proved that repeatedly Saturday afternoon as well. When Lee and Lincicome poured in back-to-back birdies at No. 7 and No. 8 to take a 2 UP lead, Hull and Pettersen posted five consecutive birdies from Nos. 9 – 13. The Americans matched them with birdies on 10, 11 and 13 but just like that the match was all square with five to play. That’s why Lee’s birdie right before suspension was so critical to the American hopes. Not only does it provide confidence to the Americans entering Sunday, but with a 1 UP lead with three to play, it gives the Americans a great chance at getting at least a half point when it concludes Sunday morning. Team Europe wins the match 2 UP

Match 16

MATCH 16 - FOUR-BALL - 2:45 p.m.

Stacy Lewis/Gerina Piller 1 UP thru 16 vs Caroline Hedwall/Caroline Masson
With Caroline Hedwall in tap-in birdie range, Stacy Lewis poured in a 25-foot birdie at the 16th hole right before the match was suspended for the day to maintain a 1 UP lead with two holes to play when they begin again Sunday morning. Lewis, the No. 3 player in the world, was in the best form she’s been in all week in Saturday’s afternoon four-ball match with five birdies and an eagle before the horn was called. Lewis’ eagle at the par-5 2nd and Piller’s par at the par-3 third enabled the Americans to quickly establish a 2 UP lead through three holes. For the Americans, the lead pinballed back and forth between two and one through the remainder of the front nine. It stayed at 1 UP through the first seven holes of the back nine with the Europeans matching each of the Americans’ three back-nine birdies before mutually agreeing to suspend the match due to darkness on the tee at the 17th hole. The Americans matched the Europeans with pars on the final two holes to win the final match of the morning at 1 UP.

Solheim Cup Day Two Afternoon Breakdown

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