GAINESVILLE, Va. — Alison Lee sparked a shirtless caddie celebration by spinning a wedge into the cup for eagle. Andrea Lee holed a bunker shot to arrange Rose Zhang‘s walk-off eagle one gap later. And Megan Khang paused for 10 seconds to let gravity assist her out on a vital birdie putt.
The wait was price it for the USA, which maintained a four-point lead over Europe within the Solheim Cup on Saturday.
With top-ranked Nelly Korda getting a day break after profitable the leadoff level in three consecutive classes of crew matches, U.S. captain Stacy Lewis watched her position gamers excel, and the Individuals concluded a heat, breezy late-summer day at Robert Trent Jones Golf Membership with a 10-6 benefit.
Europe, which has captured the Solheim Cup the final thrice, received the final two matches to conclude a 4-4 day. However the crew in royal blue and yellow will want its largest comeback in Sunday singles to make it a file 4 in a row. The U.S. rallied from 4 factors right down to win in Germany in 2015.
Lewis has discovered the precise mixtures, whether or not conserving Korda and Allisen Corpuz collectively for alternate shot; sending rookie Lauren Coughlin out with three totally different companions; or giving Zhang a snug pairing with Andrea Lee, her fellow Stanford Cardinal.
Korda and Corpuz fell behind early in opposition to Carlota Ciganda and Emily Pedersen however turned it round on the again 9 and obtained a break when Corpuz hit a worm-burner of a fairway wooden into the par-5 14th gap that prevented the water and settled inside 20 toes. Korda put her fingers on her head in disbelief and Lewis gave Corpuz a shoulder rub within the fairway.
Korda holed the putt for eagle, her second in a row on a gap the U.S. has dominated, and he or she and Corpuz turned the primary American duo to go 4-0 in foursomes after profitable twice final 12 months in Spain.
“The Individuals have performed unbelievable. I do not know what number of eagles they’ve had. It looks like they’ve had double figures,” Corridor of Famer and European assistant captain Laura Davies stated. “They’ve simply performed nice golf. Out-putted us for the time being. Deep squad of gamers. We’ll by no means say by no means, however it’s going to be very, very troublesome to get the cup again.”
🇪🇺: 6
🇺🇸: 10Who takes house @TheSolheimCup tomorrow? pic.twitter.com/vrivLeyAxq
— LPGA (@LPGA) September 14, 2024
A day after transportation issues prevented most followers from attending to the golf course for the opening tee photographs, a snafu that LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan took accountability for, the grandstands surrounding the primary tee had been full and followers lined the gallery ropes shortly after 7 a.m.
The one factor that saved them quiet was a sluggish begin by the Individuals, but it surely obtained loud as soon as Korda began rolling.
Within the first afternoon better-ball match, Anna Nordqvist and Madelene Sagstrom had been 2 right down to Khang and Alison Lee when Nordqvist birdied the par-3 eleventh gap. Khang’s tying putt held on the lip for 10 seconds earlier than dropping.
Khang confirmed a guidelines official that she had not waited too lengthy for the ball to maneuver after which slapped fingers with the followers alongside the ropes en path to the subsequent tee field.
Needing two putts to win the 14th and take a 3 up lead, Khang made her 15-footer for eagle anyway, establishing the newest fist-pumping celebration for the Individuals’ loudest cheerleader, who was subsequent to the inexperienced in a cowboy hat when Corpuz hit her strategy hours earlier.
Khang and Lee closed it out on the subsequent gap, 4 and three, for Lee’s first victory in a Solheim Cup match since 2015. She gave the U.S. an early lead along with her wedge from 86 yards for an eagle 2 on the second gap, and the Individuals’ caddies stripped from the waist up and chest-bumped to repay a guess with Lee that they agreed to on the tee field.
“Actually holed out 5 minutes after that dialog. Nice motivation,” Lee stated.
Zhang and Andrea Lee by no means trailed of their 6-and-4 victory over Linn Grant and Celine Boutier. Zhang, the youngest U.S. participant at 21 who had a forgettable Solheim debut final 12 months, joined Korda and Coughlin by profitable all three of her matches.
European captain Suzann Pettersen benched Leona Maguire, a worthwhile contributor within the final two Solheim Cups who has performed poorly this 12 months, for each classes. Rookie Albane Valenzuela additionally sat out all day, whereas Charley Hull and Pedersen performed 4 matches every.
Hull delivered. The excitable English participant hit a 300-yard-plus drive on the par-4 18th to arrange a wedge to tap-in vary by Esther Henseleit for a 1-up victory in foursomes over Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho, then did it once more as she and Georgia Corridor beat Corpuz and Lilia Vu 2 up in higher ball.
Lexi Thompson improved her file in alternate shot to 7-2-1 in what is probably going her closing Solheim Cup, teaming with the unbeaten Coughlin to make 4 birdies in six holes on the again 9 and beat Maja Stark and Corridor, 4 and three. Thompson and Ewing had been overwhelmed 2 and 1 by Ciganda and Pedersen in fourballs. Ewing has misplaced her final six Solheim Cup matches.