GAINESVILLE, Va. — Lilia Vu made a 2-foot birdie putt on the ultimate gap and the US gained the Solheim Cup for the primary time since 2017, beating Europe on a tense Sunday of singles matches at Robert Trent Jones Golf Membership.
Megan Khang, Rose Zhang and Allisen Corpuz moved the U.S. to the brink of victory with blowout wins and the Individuals received simply sufficient from the again half of their lineup to forestall Europe from capturing the cup for a document fourth straight time.
The ultimate rating: United States 15½, Europe 12½, the most important margin for the reason that Individuals gained by 5 factors seven years in the past in Iowa.
Europe fell behind 6-2 on the primary day and trailed 10-6 getting into singles. Captain Suzann Pettersen stated her staff wanted a “miracle,” and whereas that by no means appeared seemingly, the Europeans stored it fascinating, denying the Individuals the clinching level on the 18th gap in three straight matches.
It lastly ended when Vu stuffed a wedge in shut on the par-4 18th and Albane Valenzuela got here up quick on her lengthy birdie putt. Valenzuela didn’t concede Vu’s birdie, giving the American the possibility to savor the tap-in that tied their match and gave the Individuals the 14½ factors they wanted. Vu’s teammates, some with American flags round their shoulders, ran onto the inexperienced and mobbed her.
“Grit — that is what this occasion is about. It is about toughness. It is about grit,” U.S. captain Stacy Lewis stated. “The golf is simply so good on each side that it is one putt, one shot right here and there, and that is what introduced us right here right now.”
The U.S. improved its total document to 11-7-1 within the competitors that started in 1990 with monetary backing from Ping golf membership producer Karsten Solheim and his spouse, Louise.
The win was validation for the regular, data-driven strategy of U.S. captain Stacy Lewis, who made “Unfinished Enterprise” her staff’s motto for this yr after Europe retained the cup final yr with a 14-14 attract Spain.
Throughout every week of excellent climate at Robert Trent Jones Golf Membership — a sprawling lakeside venue about 40 miles west of Washington, D.C., that has hosted 4 Presidents Cups — the Individuals have been a little bit bit higher than the Europeans in each section.
Lewis received standout performances from top-ranked Nelly Korda, 21-year-old Zhang, 31-year-old rookie Lauren Coughlin and veteran spark plug Khang.
Zhang, the very best putter on both staff this week, breezed previous Carlota Ciganda 6 and 4. She grew to become the primary participant in Solheim historical past to go 4-0 or higher and by no means attain the seventeenth gap. She gained 28 holes and misplaced eight for the week.
“I simply really feel just like the Solheim Cup reignited my ardour for the sport,” Zhang stated. “We have been having a lot enjoyable, not solely off the golf course however even on it. It is simply been an unimaginable experience.”
Zhang’s win put the thirteenth American level on the board. After that, the U.S. performed for practically an hour with out main any of the ultimate seven matches.
However the Europeans nonetheless had little margin for error. Esther Henseleit had an opportunity to beat Andrea Lee on the 18th gap however left her birdie putt quick, and Lee made a 4-footer for par to present the U.S. a half-point within the first tied match of the week.
That put Lexi Thompson in place to safe the profitable level in her closing Solheim Cup as a participant, however she was denied by Celine Boutier, who hit her strategy to six toes on the par-4 18th for birdie and a 1-up win.
Coughlin, enjoying in her residence state, got here up quick on a birdie putt to win the cup, and Maja Stark made par from about 12 toes to tie their match and hold hope alive for Europe.
“We gave them a run for his or her cash,” Pettersen stated. “It is sort of onerous to imagine that we really had an opportunity.”
Then it got here right down to Vu, No. 2 within the girls’s world rating, who hit a pure drive down the center of the 406-yard 18th to arrange her quick strategy that settled subsequent to the outlet. Vu had a quiet first two days, going 1-2 in staff matches.
Charley Hull dusted Korda in a flashy leadoff match, making three straight birdies early on the again 9 — a stretch of holes that Korda had dominated whereas going 3-0 in staff matches — to construct a 5 up lead.
She closed out Korda with an strategy on the par-5 14th gap that rode a ridge, slowed to a close to cease within the fringe in the back of the inexperienced and trickled down a slope to 2 toes for a conceded eagle and a 6 and 4 win.
“I do know I’ve what it takes to play Nelly,” Hull stated.
That received Europe inside 10-7, however the hole was larger than it appeared.
A couple of minutes later, Khang completed off an exhausted Emily Pedersen, 6 and 5. Khang went 3-0 this week when she wasn’t hyping up the gang and her teammates, whereas Pedersen performed each session and went 2-3.
“I’ve totally loved getting the gang very a lot concerned. My voice can clearly be the sufferer of that,” Khang stated. “However I might do it 1,000,000 instances over.”
Lewis and Pettersen repeated as captains with the cup staged in back-to-back years for the primary time since 2002-03. The transfer received the Solheim Cup away from the Ryder Cup following a pandemic-driven postponement of the boys’s staff competitors.
The following activity for the Individuals shall be to attempt to win on European soil for the primary time since 2015 in Germany. The Netherlands will host the 2026 version.
“Blissful for Stacy, clearly, on residence turf,” Pettersen stated, “however we’ll come again very hungry.”
#Lilia #clinches #United #States #Solheim #Cup