United States has regained its pulse in the Solheim Cup after winning the 19th edition with a global result of 15.5-12.5, which probably does not fully reflect the vibrant final two hours of play that have been experienced at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia, during which the ghost of Medinah once again crossed paths with an American squad. At least it showed its ears.
The fact is that the team of Stacy Lewis, which started in the Sunday individual session with a four-point lead (10-6), soon got down to business: Khang blew away an irregular Pedersen (6&5) in the second match; Corpuz surpassed Nordqvist in every significant detail (4&3); and Rose Zhang became an unapproachable rival for Carlota Ciganda (6&4). The Spaniard has barely made a birdie in this final individual session and it is impossible to face one of the players who, with all certainty, has finished the Solheim better.
It is true that the world’s Number One, Nelly Korda, fell by a landslide (6&4) in the first match of the day against an exuberant Charley Hull (the Englishwoman finished with four consecutive birdies), and it is also true that Georgia Hall surpassed Alison Lee from start to finish (4&3), coming in the third match, but the United States soon reached the figure of 13 points and now it was only a matter of time before the necessary point and a half fell like ripe fruit to regain the Solheim trophy, at last. But it was then that the ears of the ghost of Medinah appeared on the horizon…
Celine Boutier began to come back in the match against Lexi Thompson, who had come to dominate by three up; the rookie Henseleit also came back against Andrea Lee, as did Albane Valenzuela, the other European rookie, against the world’s Number 2, Lilia Vu; Leona Maguire tilted hole by hole, stroke by stroke, the pulse in her favour against Ewing and definitely the last seven matches, seven out of twelve, sailed in uncertainty, full of emotion and equality, to the point that Stacy Lewis, at times, no longer had such absolutely clear accounts.
Linn Grant, who had come to be three down in the last match against Jennifer Kupcho, had now equalised the duel; Sagstrom kept Schmelzel at bay, and almost always behind; Stark contained Coughlin… Be that as it may, neither Lewis, nor her vice-captains, nor the fans of the stars and stripes, were able to determine with certainty where and how that damn point and a half was going to be added. Europe had to get almost everything right, but at least it had taken the individual session to a situation of extreme uncertainty almost to the end.
With so many matches hanging by a thread, with no clear advantages to one side or the other, it must be concluded that the two decisive moments for the final outcome were the final draw of Henseleit with Andrea Lee in the seventh match and that of Maja Stark with Coughlin in the eighth. Had these two full points fallen on the blue side, and we were not far from it, we can attest, another rooster would be singing right now in Virginia… Finally, it was Lilia Vu who pulled out one more draw against Valenzuela with a majestic birdie on the same hole 18, adding the half point that, now yes, definitely scared away the ghost of Medinah.
There will be time for a deeper analysis, but let’s start with a quick conclusion: despite the interesting and exciting tightness of the end, this 19th edition of the Solheim has been won by the better of the two teams, the most solid, the deepest and, therefore, the one that this week has had more players in their best version for longer. No more, no less.
