United States Closing in on Reclaiming Solheim Cup, Leads 10-6

The U.S. failed to extend its lead Saturday but needs just 4½ points out of 12 in Sunday singles to secure the Solheim Cup.

Rose Zhang is 3-0 at the Solheim Cup. / Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The United States Solheim Cup team is one day away from ending a seven-year drought.

Over two sessions Saturday the U.S. and Team Europe played to a stalemate in foursomes and again in fourballs, but the four-point lead the U.S. forged Friday, now 10-6, stands going into Sunday singles at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia. 

“This was a great day for us,” U.S. captain Stacy Lewis said. “I think it's hard, it's like when you go shoot 62, how you come back the next day. We had such a great day yesterday. It was going to be hard.

“The Europeans played a lot better today, and that showed, but really, really happy with the day, and to keep the same lead.”

In Saturday morning’s foursomes, world No. 1 Nelly Korda and local favorite Lauren Coughlin (who played collegiately at Virginia) won their matches (with teammates Allisen Corpuz and Lexi Thompson) to run their records to 3-0 on the week. The two then sat out the afternoon fourballs as part of Lewis’s plan to not play anyone in all five sessions. 

Rose Zhang is also 3-0, having won her Saturday afternoon fourballs match 6 and 4 with Andrea Lee over Europe’s Linn Grant and Celine Boutier. Alison Lee and Megan Khang also won in fourballs, 4 and 3 over Anna Nordqvist and Madelene Sagstrom.

The U.S. needs 14½ points to win the Cup. A 14-14 tie allows Europe to retain the Cup, as was the case last year. The U.S. last won the Solheim Cup in 2017 in Iowa.

A four-point comeback over 12 singles matches is a tall order but has been done. The U.S. trailed by four in 2015 in Germany but came back on Sunday. The U.S. men famously erased a four-point deficit in 1999 at Brookline, with Justin Leonard securing the winning half-point with a 45-foot birdie putt.

Friday fallout

LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan met the media Saturday morning to address Friday’s logistical problems, which left fans with prolonged waits in parking lots while trying to get to Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. 

“I think we diagnosed the situation. It wasn't terribly difficult to diagnose,” Marcoux Samaan said. “I think most importantly, there weren't enough buses, and the staggering of the buses, we had additional buses coming on throughout the course of the morning, but they weren't at the right time.

“There was more traffic than we anticipated, than our team anticipated in the morning, given rush hour, the staging and the loading out there was not efficient. It wasn't sufficient or efficient.”

Fans who were affected were offered two free tickets for the weekend.

“We're not happy with what happened,” Marcoux Samaan said “I don't think it's going to be long-term damages to us. We have to make sure our fans know how much we care about them and how much we whiffed.”