GAINESVILLE, Va. – Simply as they’d carried out within the first foursomes session a day earlier, the People got here alive on the again 9 within the format on Saturday morning at Robert Trent Jones Golf Membership to take care of their four-point Solheim Cup benefit.
Nelly Korda moved to 3-0 on the week, flipping her match alongside Allisen Corpuz, to steer the U.S. to a 2-2 end result, which after trailing in three of the 4 matches at one level, now sees the house facet up 8-4 getting into Saturday afternoon’s fourball session.
Whereas Korda got here again from a 2-down deficit to win a full level for the fourth time on 9 events, she and Corpuz additionally notched their fourth straight win as a foursomes duo, a Solheim file.
Lexi Thompson additionally acquired onto the scoreboard along with her first level of the week, placing the pedal down with Lauren Coughlin, the third American rookie to win every of her first three matches.
This one is way from over, although. Twice earlier than has a workforce trailed by 4 factors and are available again to a minimum of tie the Solheim Cup. Europe was down 4-0 after the opening session final 12 months earlier than retaining the cup with a 14-14 rating. And in 2015 in Germany, the People rallied in singles, erasing a 10-6 deficit to prevail by a single level.
Right here’s how Saturday morning’s foursomes unfolded:
Allisen Corpuz/Nelly Korda (U.S.) def. Emily Pedersen/Carlota Ciganda (Europe), 1 up
The Europeans led for a lot of the match earlier than their first bogey, on the par-4 thirteenth gap, allowed Corpuz and Korda to tie the match for the primary time for the reason that first gap. Issues continued to shift within the People’ favor as Corpuz topped her second shot on the par-5 14th gap after which watched as her ball took a number of fortunate bounces earlier than ending up 25 toes away from the outlet. Korda rolled within the eagle to push the U.S. pair forward for the primary time.
“I instructed her that may very well be high 3 one of many best pictures I’ve ever seen in my total life,” Korda stated.
Corpuz topped a fairway wooden into the 14th inexperienced Saturday on the Solheim Cup – and it led to an eagle.
Whereas the People gave the lead again at No. 16 following a thinned fairway-bunker shot by Korda and ensuing bogey, Korda regrouped to stay her method on the par-4 seventeenth to some toes. Corpuz capped off the birdie, because the U.S. took one other 1-up lead, which it saved for Korda’s third level in as many periods.
Esther Henseleit/Charley Hull (Europe) def. Ally Ewing/Jennifer Kupcho (U.S.), 1 up
The Europeans led 3 up after eight holes earlier than the People battled again. Ewing and Kupcho shrunk their deficit to simply 1 down after 13 holes and once more after Ewing canned a prolonged birdie putt on the par-4 fifteenth gap, a gap after a European eagle.
The People then tied the match getting into the 18th gap, solely to look at Henseleit hit the flagstick along with her method shot and earn a conceded birdie. When Kupcho couldn’t gap a protracted greenside bunker shot, that sealed the second European level of the session.
Lexi Thompson/Lauren Coughlin (U.S.) def. Maja Stark/Georgia Corridor (Europe), 4 and three
Thompson was routed in her fourball match on Friday afternoon, however she teamed with an already 2-0 Coughlin to dominate Stark and Corridor late. The People birdied 4 of their last 5 holes on this match, which they by no means trailed in.
Anna Nordqvist/Celine Boutier (Europe) def. Lilia Vu/Sarah Schmelzel (U.S.), 4 and three
Nordqvist continued the momentum from her 6-and-5 fourball win Friday alongside Madelene Sagstrom by teaming with Boutier to leap on this American duo early. After taking every of the ultimate six holes on Friday, Nordqvist’s facet received the primary three on Saturday morning, a nine-hole streak that’s the longest within the final decade of this competitors.
To match, Scottie Scheffler received eight straight holes on the 2021 Ryder Cup, probably the most consecutive since 1985.
Schmelzel struggled with the putter to open the door for the Euros, lacking three putts within 4 toes on the primary 5 holes as she and Vu fell 4 down. The European lead grew to six up on the flip.
