Members of the U.S. Solheim Cup team, favored to retain the Solheim Cup on home turf in Des Moines, put a stunning and disappointing first morning behind them and came out swinging, putting, and roaring back to capture all four afternoon matches and go three points up in the contest, 5.2-2.5, over the visiting Europeans.
Solheim Cup 2017: Team USA rebounds from morning losses to sweep afternoon matches
Americans roar back to take all four fourball matches on Friday afternoon at the Solheim Cup and lead the Europeans 5.2-2.5 heading into Saturday’s sessions.
Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
It was the first U.S. sweep of a Solheim Cup session, and one in which the Europeans never led in any of the matches. The score marks the largest lead after two sessions for the U.S. since 1998.
“This is the history that we really don’t want. We want the history on Sunday night. We want the cup,” U.S. captain Juli Inkster said after the final putt dropped Friday evening. “We got a lot of work. I know [European skipper] Annika [Sorenstam] is going to fire that team up and we just need to come out and keep doing what we’re doing. I thought we played great this morning and we played amazing this afternoon.”
In the morning, the U.S. got off to a blazing start to the proceedings when Lexi Thompson drove the first green in the opening match of the morning foursome matches to kick off the 15th playing of the biennial games.
Thompson’s partner Cristie Kerr converted a 10-foot eagle putt to go 1-up but Charley Hull and Mel Reid played their way back to 2-up with two holes left.
Thompson and Kerr birdied their last two holes to halve the match.
Europeans Anna Nordqvist and Georgia Hall defeated Paula Creamer and cup rookie Austin Ernst, 3 and 1, and Karine Icher and Catriona Matthew overtook U.S. players Stacy Lewis and Gerina Piller, 1-up. Lizette Salas and Danielle Kang, displaying no nerves despite playing in her first cup competition, won their first hole and never looked back, outlasting the Euro duo of Carlota Ciganda and Caroline Masson, 1 up.
Europe took a 2.5-1.5 edge after the morning foursomes, but it was all U.S.A. in the afternoon fourball matches.
Salas and Angel Yin, another player making her Solheim debut, could do no wrong, blowing away their Euro opponents, Ciganda and Emily Pedersen, in a 6 and 5 laugher. Capturing the first U.S. points in the afternoon session, Salas and Yin matched the largest margin of victory in fourball matches in Solheim Cup history.
The two American Brittanys — Lincicome and Lang — took their match in a convincing 3 and 2 win over Florentyna Parker and Masson. Batting cleanup, Lewis and Piller put the final point of the day on the board with a 2 and 1 win over Hull and Hall.
In the marquee match of the afternoon, Kang and Michelle Wie beat Madalene Sagstrom and Jodi Ewart Shadow, 3 and 1, thanks to stellar play from tee to green.
The two good friends, both relaxed and passionate, got off to a quick, birdie-birdie start, and had the partisan fans on their feet and cheering from the start.
Kang was absolutely on fire, and when she followed up her clutch birdie putt to win the 16th hole by stuffing her tee shot on the par-3 17th, it was all over but the dabbing.
