Iowa is renowned as being one of the flattest states in the Union but Europe have found a huge mountain to climb in Des Moines after they suffered another fourballs hammering in the Solheim Cup.
The 3-1 defeat, to add to the 4-0 whitewash in the fourball format on Friday, leaves Annika Sorenstam’s team five points in arrears head into the Sunday singles after the morning foursomes session was shared 2-2.
The 10 ½ to 5 ½ advantage owned by Julie Inkster’s team means they need just 3 ½ points to retain the cup in the singles, which has traditionally been their strongest suit in the Solheim Cup. Europe need the biggest comeback in the history of competition to regain the trophy.
Catriona Matthew recorded her 21st point in European colours in the morning foursomes but lost out in the afternoon, Cristie Kerr’s eagle holing out of a bunker on the 15th being the dagger blow the Scot and partner Georgia Hall couldn’t recover from.
The afternoon was a flurry of birdies across the course with Europe’s point coming from the unbeaten Anna Nordqvist, who partnered Jodi Ewart Sackoff to a 4 and 2 victory Lisette Salas and Angel Yin.
But the Americans, inspired by a huge home crowd who were loud but respectful, were unrelenting. Brittany Lang and Brittany Lincicome were 12-under as a duo, and the wonder was that Mel Reid and Carlota Ciganda battled well enough to get the match to the final green where they lost two down.
Kerr and Lexi Thompson were also 12-under for their win over Matthew and Hall, while Paula Creamer and Austin Ernst shot eight-under figures in defeating Karine Icher and Madelene Sagstrom.
Sorenstam shuffled her team in an attempt to get back into the game but with Charley Hull unable to play because of a sore wrist, her decision to break up her two winning foursomes partnerships would be called into question.
The teams of Matthew and Icher and Hall and Nordqvost had both won their second foursomes matches of the weekend in the morning, but were split up for the afternoon session.
In humid, overcast conditions Matthew and Icher followed the path of their match on Friday, falling behind early but gradually reeling in the previously unbeaten Danielle Kang and Michelle Wie.
A birdie two at the eighth and a three at the 10th put them in charge, eventually securing the second point of the weekend.
“I think that was a huge point,” said Matthew. “We certainly didn’t want to lose another session. Ideally we wanted to win that session, but to come out with a draw, hopefully we can come out all guns blazing this afternoon and get more points.
“I think Karine and I are both pretty similar personalities. We’re the older ones on the team, and we both play a similar game, similar personalities. I think it just works.”
Icher said that she and Matthew “don’t talk much” as a partnership.
“In a Solheim Cup you need experience, that’s a big factor,” she said.
Sorenstam has opted to split her winning partnerships for afternoon fourballs and Matthew will play with Georgia Hall.
Meanwhile Inkster put out two groups who had failed to shine yesterday in the first two foursomes, gambling that they’d be fired up to make amends after their team-mates’ successes on Friday afternoon.
And the US captain was vindicated as lead pairing Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson were transformed from Friday’s tentative partnership, in which the World No 2 had seemed completely out of sorts.
Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Caroline Masson went behind on the first but kept it close until the turn, when the American duo birdied three in a row to move from one-up to four-up. Another birdie at the long 15th closed out the point 5 and 3.
Similarly, Paula Creamer and Austin Ernst had been beaten on the first day but Mel Reid and Emily Pedersen had a disastrous run after the 11th, losing three successive holes to pars and finally losing out 5 and 3.
That left Sorenstam badly needing points from the bottom two games just to stand still on the morning play, with her two winning pairings from Friday of Hall and Nordqvist and the partnership of Matthew and Icher.
And the Swede and the English rookie came through, winning key holes at the 10th in birdie and the 13th in par against Stacy Lewis and Gerina Piller, Hall’s eight foot par putt securing the match 2 and 1 on the 16th.