ANDALUCIA, Spain — The Solheim Cup is all tied up at 8-8 heading into Sunday singles matches as Europe once again went 3-1 in the afternoon fourball to erase the Americans two-point lead. Charley Hull and Leona Maguire beat Nelly Korda and Ally Ewing to earn the Euros their fourth fourball point of the week, and the other three matches all went down to the final two holes with no ties. While the momentum has certainly shifted to the Europeans whose Saturday afternoon performance was thrilling for the local crowd, it’s the first time that the U.S. has not trailed after the first two days of play since 2009. It’s also the fourth time that the Americans have led or been tied after the first four sessions, and they’ve gone on to win the Cup in all three previous instances. But you best believe that Europe, led by Spaniard Carlota Ciganda who is currently 3-0-0, won’t go down without a fight.
Take a look at the Saturday afternoon results and Sunday singles matchups at Finca Cortesin.
Saturday Afternoon Results
Match 13 – Charley Hull/Leona Maguire def. Nelly Korda/Ally Ewing 4&3
After tying the first hole, Charley Hull and Leona Maguire took the 1-up advantage at No. 2 and held that lead for the rest of the match, gradually increasing it to 4 up as the match went on. Ally Ewing and Nelly Korda did not go down without a good fight, trying as hard as they could to even the match, and even closing the European gap slightly down to 3 up for a few holes. Ultimately, they could not close it any further. Coming down to a long Ewing putt to prolong the match, the American barely missed and opened the door for Hull to win with two-putts. The Englishwoman slammed it shut on the Americans, earning her 12th career Solheim Cup match win.
Match 14 – Cheyenne Knight/Angel Yin def. Anna Nordqvist/Caroline Hedwall 2 up
Europe struck first during match 14 thanks largely to a well-rested and fired up Caroline Hedwall, making her first appearance at the 2023 Solheim Cup. The Swede made birdie off the bat, setting up what could be another European victory. Angel Yin tied it up with a birdie on 3, but the Euros went 1-up, then 2-up on Nos. 5 and 8, thanks again to Hedwall. Cheyenne Knight did her best on No. 7 to dwindle the European lead with from 80 feet out, but Hedwall matched it with a long birdie putt. With the momentum definitely favoring Team Europe, things began to change after the turn. On No. 11, Yin brought the match back within one with a monster drive and long birdie putt. Knight tied things up with a close approach on 12, then Yin sank another long one on 12 to take the lead in just three holes. The Americans held onto that lead with all they could for the next four holes, walking onto 18 still 1-up. On the final par-5, Yin hit another long drive and got it onto the green in two, almost assuring an American victory after it took both Hedwall and Nordqvist three shots to get on. Yin’s eagle putt missed just right of the hole and rolled just three feet past, good enough to earn the Americans their only point of the afternoon after the Swedes each missed long birdie putts.
Match 15 – Madelene Sagstrom/Emily Kristine Pedersen def. Rose Zhang/Andrea Lee 2&1
The United States took the early lead after Rose Zhang drove the green on the opening par 4 and sinking the eagle putt to take the early momentum. The lead stood for just another hole until Europe took the lead on 4. Madelena Sagstrom and Emily Pedersen would hold that lead for 13 of the final 14 holes. Not going down easy, the Americans tried to bring the match back down to a tie with a clutch Zhang birdie putt on 9 but Pedersen matched it with a birdie putt of her own to keep the European edge. The dagger for the Americans came on No. 14 when Pedersen sunk a birdie putt from off the green to take the 2-up lead the rest of the way.
Match 16 – Carlota Ciganda/Linn Grant def. Danielle Kang/Lilia Vu 2&1
Carlota Ciganda won her 10th career Solheim Cup match on home soil alongside partner Linn Grant, defeating Lilia Vu and Danielle Kang 2&1. It was a tied match through five holes, thanks to a barrage of birdies from each team, before the Spainard put the Euros 1-up on No. 6. Kang tied it up again with a solid birdie on the par-3 10th, but Grant and Ciganda quickly fired back with a birdie each on 11 and 12, respectively. On 13, Vu stuck her approach shot 18 inches from the cup, closing the gap to 1-up again, advantage Europeans. On 16, in front of the largest crowd on the course, Ciganda drained a solid birdie that produced a roar heard across the grounds of Finca Cortesin. The match was dormie heading onto 17, but the Americans had a good look to force one more hole and potentially tie the match. However, Kang’s putt missed just right on 17, giving the Europeans their final point of the day and bringing the overall score to 8-8 with just singles matches still to play.
Sunday Singles Matches
Match 17, 11:10 a.m. – Megan Khang vs. Linn Grant
Match 18, 11:22 a.m. – Rose Zhang vs. Leona Maguire
Match 19, 11:34 a.m. – Danielle Kang vs. Charley Hull
Match 20, 11:46 a.m. – Jennifer Kupcho vs. Anna Nordqvist
Match 21, 11:58 a.m. – Andrea Lee vs. Georgia Hall
Match 22, 12:10 p.m. – Cheyenne Knight vs. Gemma Dryburgh
Match 23, 12:22 p.m. – Angel Yin vs. Celine Boutier
Match 24, 12:34 p.m. – Ally Ewing vs. Caroline Hedwall
Match 25, 12:46 p.m. – Lilia Vu vs. Madelene Sagstrom
Match 26, 12:58 p.m. – Allisen Corpuz vs. Maja Stark
Match 27, 1:10 p.m. – Nelly Korda vs. Carlota Ciganda
Match 28, 1:22 p.m. – Lexi Thompson vs. Emily Kristine Pedersen
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