Europe still holds the lead going into the final day of the Solheim Cup but it’s just two points after the USA barely edged the second day at Inverness.
Mel Reid’s birdie at the last rescued a half in the key third afternoon fourball to secure the 9-7 advantage, after Europe lost the morning foursomes 3-1. Catriona Matthew’s team, as they did at Gleneagles, have a precious lead going into the singles.
There was maybe an element of fortune about Reid’s outrageous second shot to 18 inches at the last. But maybe Europe deserved a little after the controversies of Saturday afternoon.
Maybe the pivotal match in the whole contest
SENSATIONAL @melreidgolf loves the pressure 🇪🇺🙌🇪🇺#SolheimCup pic.twitter.com/dZ4L8pWvII
— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) September 5, 2021
The match, the third fourball, might be a pivotal one for the entire contest. Both sides pitched their unbeaten rookies against each other, Jennifer Kupcho for the US and Leona Maguire for Europe.
The Irish sensation continued to make telling putts, but the US led two-up with six to play until Reid came in with birdies. Maguire’s par putt on 16 squared the match again.
Europe looked in the box seat on 17 but Kupcho’s chip-in from the back of the green turned it back in favour of the US.
That left the drama up the 18th. Reid’s second shot looked headed for the front left bunker but just cleared it and got a beautiful bounce to roll stone dead.
‘We just had to stay patient’
.@leona_maguire delivers yet again 🔥🔥🔥#SolheimCup pic.twitter.com/Rn13EnVuAf
— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) September 5, 2021
“We were down for most of the afternoon which was a position we hadn’t been in,” said Maguire. “We just had to stay patient and have faith that it would turn in our favour, and it did.”
Reid said she hadn’t had her best in the afternoon, but was happy to make a key contribution.
“Leona made all the putts all day so I was happy just come in at the end there,” she said. “I saw all the yellow shirts, our team out there at the green, so I knew I had do something.”
Matthew was delighted to maintain a two-point advantage for the final singles.
“That half point at the end from Leona and Mel has really buoyed us up going into tomorrow,” she said.
“We’re confident, we’d have taken a two point lead for the final day at the start, for sure. The message in singles is, just go out there and win your point.”
Both teams rest key players for singles
US skipper Pat Hurst rested Lexi Thompson although she had won her first foursome game in three Solheim Cups in the morning. World No 1 Nelly Korda, who has been struggling, was also allowed to sit down.
Matthew herself rested two of her most experienced players, Anna Nordqvist and Georgia Hall. Both of whom had lost their first matches of the week in the morning foursomes.
The afternoon play was almost mirror image of the morning. The USA were up in all matches like Europe had been in the foursomes, but like them they failed to sustain it and Europe turned the momentum.
In the top match Celine Boutier and Sylvia Popov were three down at the turn to the rookie pairing of Yealami Noh and Mina Harigae. They hauled it back to all square but some tentative putting failed to sustain the momentum. Two birdies by Harigae and one from Noh closed out the point 3&1.
Seven lead changes in one match
.@KoerstzMadsen & @carlotagolf put a point on the board for #TeamEurope 🇪🇺#SolheimCup pic.twitter.com/EZri0RItGd
— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) September 5, 2021
It was a dog-eat-dog battle between Jessica Korda and Megan Khang and Euro duo Carolta Ciganda and Nanna Koerstz Madsen. The lead changed hands seven times with no-one ahead by more than one-up, but Ciganda’s big putts for a win and a half gave the Euros the edge.
It fell to Madsen to secure the half down 18 which secured the point.
“We knew that the Americans would come out strong after their morning, so we just had to hang in there,” said Ciganda. “It’s tough with the crowd and no European fans here because of Covid but we battled well for the point.”
The final point for Europe was secured quickly, Charley Hull and Emily Kristine Pedersen comfortably accounting for Danielle Kang and Austin Ernst 4&2.