Solheim Cup: Magnificent clean sweep for Europe
USA 5 1/2 Europe 10 1/2
Match 1
Creamer & Thompson v Ewart-Shadoff & Hull
Europe won two holes
Charley Hull and Jodi Ewart-Shadoff pulled off an incredible victory over their more fancied opponents thanks to a barrage of brilliant shots.
The rookies had eight birdies – Hull with six – to pick up an unlikely point in a match that had a shade of controversy. Ewart-Shadoff’s caddy gave Creamer a putt just as she was about to putt at the 7th which upset the Americans but not enough to stop Thompson draining her birdie putt.
Ewart-Shadoff struck straightaway at the next before teenagers Thompson and Hull threw a series of birdies at one another.
The match swung at 17 when Thompson played her tee shot to six feet while Hull somehow got inside her and the English girl was the one to knock it in.
Ewart-Shadoff played the 18th perfectly to slam the door on the Americans and pick up their first Solheim Cup points.
Match 2
Piller & Stanford v Munoz & Ciganda
Europe won by one hole
The visitors struggled early on other than a lengthy putt from Ciganda at the 2nd and America reached the turn one to the good. It could have been two but for Munoz’s chip in at the 9th for a par and a half.
Ciganda conjured up a birdie after a very wayward drive at the 10th but then she settled and looked like the player who won the LET Order of Merit last year.
When she did falter Munoz was there to fill in and Ciganda finished the match off in sizzling style.
On Friday she missed a two-footer to complete a forgettable (if winning) debut, now she rolled in a 10-footer for a remarkable birdie.
Two wins from two for Ciganda, for Stanford it is now six straight defeats.
Icher produced the perfect finale with a 30-foot birdie putt to send her team-mates into raptures Match 3
Wie & Korda v Hedwall & Masson
Europe won 2&1
Caroline Hedwall, playing in her fourth straight match, showed no signs of tiredness as the Swede and German added their second win as a fourball pair – and Hedwall’s fourth straight victory.
Masson birdied the first two holes and then her partner tool over with two of her own at 5 and 10. The German found the par-5 12th in two to double the lead and, while Wie pulled one back at 14, Hedwall quickly added some breathing space with a birdie four at the next.
Masson and Wie both made fours at 16 and Hedwall was able to two-putt at the par-3 17th from just 10 feet to continue her quite brilliant efforts.
For Wie it was her first defeat in three outings.
Match 4
Kerr & Pressel v Icher & Recari
Europe won by one hole
This was another new European pairing and yet another point as Neumann’s side completed a series whitewash.
Both Recari and Icher lost earlier in the day but they bounced back against the more experienced Americans.
Icher did most of the damage on the front nine while Recari producd a very unlikely half after taking a penalty drop and then threading a fairway wood from the scrub to a few feet.
At the turn Europe were two up with a betterball of just two under – and that became three when the Spaniard rolled in a 30-footer at the 10th.
Pressel birdied the short next and the 16th despite another insufferable wait over where to take a drop.
Icher bruised the hole with a putt to close out the match at 17 but then made no mistake at the last. Putting from just off the green Icher produced the perfect finale with a 30-foot birdie putt to send her team-mates into raptures.
