Team Europe won three of the four fourballs matches for second successive day to pull level at 8-8 with Team USA heading into the Sunday singles; Europe need six points on final day to retain trophy and 6.5 points for historic threepeat; watch live on Sunday from 9am on Sky Sports Golf
By Ali Stafford at Finca Cortesin
Leona Maguire and Charley Hull delivered an impressive fourballs victory to help pull Team Europe back level with Team USA heading into the Sunday singles at the Solheim Cup.
Europe recovered from being swept in Friday’s opening session to win three of the four fourballs matches later that day, with Suzann Pettersen’s side now tied at 8-8 after following a share of the spoils in the Saturday foursomes with another impressive fourballs display.
Maguire and Hull claimed an impressive 4&3 win over Nelly Korda and Ally Ewing, while a 2&1 success for Madelene Sagstrom and Emily Pedersen over Rose Zhang and Andrea Lee completed the European comeback.
Emily Pedersen holes a superb birdie to give Team Europe the lead in all four match-ups in the fourballs at the time
Cheyenne Knight and Angel Yin edged USA back ahead when they produced a back-nine recovery to defeat Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall 2up, only for Carlota Ciganda and Linn Grant to see off Danielle Kang and Lilia Vu to level the contest again.
Europe now require six points on the final day to retain the trophy and 6.5 to complete a historic threepeat for the first time in the event’s history, while Stacy Lewis’ American team need 6.5 points to earn a first Solheim Cup success since 2017.
Leona Maguire was the star but Charley Hull secured a par on the 15th hole to end a dominant contest from Team Europe and bring them within one point of USA
“I’m out of words, but we have to remember, we’re not there,” Pettersen said. “There’s still 12 points up for grabs tomorrow, but we made quite a comeback. Now we’re tied, and we just put that in fifth gear and keep going.”
Charley Hull and Leona Maguire beat Nelly Korda and Ally Ewing 4&3
Maguire opened with a 10-foot birdie to share the first and took advantage of the par-fives – second and fourth, with the Irishwoman then adding to her tally at the eighth – a hole after Hull had made a birdie of her own – to move Europe into a four-hole lead.
Ewing drilled in an effort from off the green to win a hole back for Team USA and Korda squandered a glorious look at the next, allowing Maguire to restore their advantage with a birdie at the 12th.
Maguire matched Ewing’s birdie at the 13th and fired her approach into the par-four next to almost gimme range, before a par at the 15th from Hull completed Europe’s dominant win in the top match.
“Nelly and Ally are great players,” Maguire said. “We knew that from the last time around. We knew we had to bring our A games this afternoon. Just played really solid and didn’t really give them a chance to fight back at all.”
Cheyenne Knight and Angel Yin beat Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall 2up
Hedwall reacted to being left out for the first three sessions by birdieing her first two holes, only for Yin to pick up a shot at the par-three third to level the contest. The Swedish veteran won the fifth with a birdie and responded to Knight chipping in from off the seventh green by rolling in a putt to share the hole.
Team USA’s Angel Yin insists their one win on day two is enough to maintain the momentum heading into the last day of the Solheim Cup
She took advantage of the par-five eighth to move Europe two ahead but missed a close-range opportunity to extend the lead further. Yin won the 11th with a birdie and benefitted from some poor European putting to take the next with a par, before USA won the 13th hole and matched Europe’s birdie at the next to go one ahead.
Hedwall holed a decent par-save at the 15th to prevent them falling further behind and help take the contest to the final hole, where Yin found the green in two and knocked her eagle try to close range before seeing the birdie putt conceded.
Catriona Matthew discusses how Team Europe should approach the final day of the Solheim Cup and gives her prediction for who will claim the ultimate prize
Madelene Sagstrom and Emily Pedersen beat Rose Zhang and Andrea Lee 2&1
Zhang made a stunning eagle at the first after driving the par-four green and shared the second with a birdie, only for Pedersen to win the next two holes with birdies to move back ahead.
Rose Zhang gets off to an almost perfect start on day two at the Solheim Cup with a brilliant tee shot before a superb putt for eagle
Lee birdied the sixth to level the tie but fell back behind when Europe birdied the next, with the hosts never relinquishing the lead despite a flurry of USA birdies on the back nine. Pedersen doubled Europe’s advantage with a long putt from the back of the 15th green, then closed out victory with a hole to spare.
“I think we were 10 under today, so it was pretty solid golf all the way around,” Pedersen said. “Then we just backed each other up. I think when I backed out a little bit, Madelene stepped up, and so I had a lot of fun playing with Madelene.”
Carlota Ciganda and Linn Grant beat Danielle Kang and Lilia Vu 2&1
An incredible standard saw the first five holes all halved with birdies, with Ciganda pouring in for birdie to win the par-three sixth and then matching the American birdies over the next two holes.
Kang started the back nine with a birdie but the USA fell behind again when Grant poured in from 12 feet at the next for the first of successive holes won by Team Europe, before Vu’s stunning approach into the 13th closed the gap to one.
They shared the 14th with birdies before Ciganda restored the hosts’ two-hole lead by picking up a shot at the 16th, with a par at the next enough for the point required to level the contest despite the USA pair playing a combined eight under in best-ball.
Who will win the Solheim Cup? Watch the final day live on Sky Sports! Live coverage begins on Sunday from 9am on Sky Sports Golf, ahead of the opening match starting at 10.10am. Stream the Solheim Cup and more with NOW.