An intense and fiercely contested second foursomes session, Saturday morning, in this 19th edition of the Solheim Cup. The score was 2-2 and, although the United States continues to dominate clearly (8-4) the score that really matters, the truth is that at least the European team has stopped the bleeding and opens the doors to hope.
It is not necessary to point out that Suzann Pettersen‘s team needs a partial victory in this afternoon’s fourballs, whatever it takes and by whatever difference, to really confirm the change in trend and reach Sunday’s singles with chances to retain the trophy in their showcases (remember that Europe would be enough with a draw at 14 points to, in effect, retain it, as happened a year ago at Finca Cortesín). On the contrary, a victory for Stacy Lewis‘s team in this evening session, whatever the advantage, would leave the continental squad on the brink of the abyss, not to mention touched and sunk.
This morning foursomes session has been clearly divided into two parts. On the one hand, the first two matches that faced Ciganda and Pedersen against Corpuz and Korda (1 up for the Americans), as well as Hull and Henseleit against Ewing and Kupcho (1 up for the Europeans), in which equality has prevailed and, in fact, they have been resolved on the 18th hole of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. The Spanish match had a tragic ending for European interests, since Ciganda and Pedersen have commanded during the first half, with an early advantage of two up, to fall later before the power of the World Number One, Nelly Korda, very well seconded by Allisen Corpuz.
Let’s clarify: Korda and Corpuz have done their thing, they have rowed with determination and never lost face to a duel that the Hispanic Danish couple dominated at times, but capricious chance also sided with them in a certainly incredible way on hole 14, par 5. They arrived at that point with the match already tied when a horrendous shot from Corpuz, with a fairway wood and trying to take the ball from two to green, lifted the ball just two meters from the ground and, for those things that life and golf have, instead of going to water, found an inexplicable path to the flag, trotting and trotting almost without control, to go to a few meters from the flag…
Anyway, anyway, Ciganda and Pedersen would do wrong to blame only the cobblestones. The truth is that they still had room to get at least half a point and it was their own mistakes, especially on the greens, that made it impossible, more than the pure and arbitrary action of chance.
In the other equal duel, the German Esther Henseleit redeemed herself just at the end, hitting a shot on the 18 from about eighty meters to give the birdie to the blue pair and thus save a whole point that can be decisive. The German, in addition, had already taken the reins of the duo several holes before, taking over from a Hull that had shone for the first half of the course, but continues to show somewhat irregular or not entirely reliable in the moments in which you always have to expect the best from a great star. Anything is possible with Hull, as you know.
The other two matches had less emotion in the final stretch, although they also leave interesting considerations. On the one hand, Lexi Thompson and Lauren Coughlin have been tightening the rope little by little, step by step, hole by hole, to Maja Stark and Georgia Hall (4y3 for the Americans). Without hurry, but inexorably, without any alternative in the score and, of course, with a more than brilliant end in this alternate shot mode, making up to four birdies in the last five holes they have played. This enjoyable and liberated Thompson, after announcing her retirement at the end of the year, wants to dispute Korda the leader poster, it seems. On the other hand, Hall only has this afternoon’s fourballs to transform that somewhat wilted and shrunken image she is leaving…
In the last match, Anna Nordqvist and Celine Boutier won without trouble by 4y3 to Lilia Vu and a Sarah Schmelzel who has suffered what is not written after missing a good handful of short putts in the first third of the course. The rookie already knows what it is to arrive and kiss the saint, just what she did on Friday with an outstanding display of play, or pay the price of pressure when things do not go smoothly. Nordqvist has been so far the burning nail that Europe clings to, but she alone cannot withstand the weight of a whole Solheim. This afternoon, in the fourballs, it should be the time for Ciganda, Hull and Boutier. The Frenchwoman, it must be said, is playing much better than a year ago at Finca Cortesín, but she can still take one or two more steps forward. It is urgent and, at this point, essential.
