Quick start secures repeat for Europe
TOLEDO, Ohio — The crowds poured into Inverness Club at 10 a.m. Monday, several hours before the first tee time on the final day of the 2021 Solheim Cup.
Fans clad in red, white, and blue, some wearing face paint, others waving American flags, all of them were eager to cheer on a United States comeback that never materialized.
A glimmer of hope for the U.S. came late in the day when American flags went up on leader boards throughout the course, but Finland’s Matilda Castren, a Solheim Cup rookie, made a 10-foot par putt on No. 18 to clinch a 1-up victory over Lizette Salas and assure a tie for Europe, allowing them to retain the Cup.
“It’s hard to put it into words
right now,” said Castren, who went 3-1-0 on the week. “I think I’m still shaking.”
Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen’s 1-up victory over Danielle Kang in the final match secured an outright 1513 Europe win.
“It was a bit of a fight because after 15 I knew we’d won and I just wanted to go celebrate with everyone, so I just really had to collect myself,” Pedersen said. “But it felt really good to hole that last putt.”
Europe won the first match on day one and never trailed during the entirety of the tournament, which saw a Solheim Cup record 130,000 fans in attendance, eclipsing 124,426 at Des Moines in 2017.
Europe’s blue and yellow colors were the hues of the day, as they continually stalled any U.S. rallies. The Europeans won the first three points Monday, annihilating the Americans in all three matches. Leona Maguire, the MVP of Team Europe, beat Jennifer Kupcho, 5 and 4; France’s Celine Boutier defeated Mina Harigae, 5 and 4; and Sweden’s
Madelene Sagstrom won, 3 and 2, over Ally Ewing.
Europe, which won backto-back and in the U.S. for just the second time, has won four of the past six Solheim Cups. Catriona Matthew became the first European captain to win twice.
“Just an amazing team,” Matthew said. “They came out here and performed. I’m kind of lost for words.”
Nelly and Jessica Korda, Brittany Altomare, Megan Khang and Yealimi Noh won full points for the Americans.
Matches between Lexi Thompson and Anna Nordqvist and Austin Ernst and Nanna Koertsz-Madsen were halved.
“I think we got behind the 8-ball the very first foursomes,” U.S. captain Pat Hurst said. “We fought our way back, but it’s not good enough. I was hoping to see a lot of red in the beginning just to kind of put it up on the board for everyone to see, but it is what it is. They played hard, they played with heart, and that’s what we were asking for.”
The Europeans led 9-7 entering Monday’s singles matches, quieting the pro -American crowd early with a string of non-competitive wins, led by Maguire, who had a 4-0-1 record with a brilliant display of golf.
American putts had a difficult time finding the cup all week, a trend that showed during must-make moments Monday. Ernst and Salas missed putts that could have swayed the momentum and potentially delivered the Solheim Cup for the Americans. Each time, their ball slid by and the hopes for Team USA quickly evaporated.
Twenty-one of 28 matches reached the 17th hole and 16 went all 18. When the pressure reached its most extreme element, Europe often rose to the occasion.
“The level of women’s golf is just unbelievable now, and it’s just going to get better,” Hurst said. “That’s what this is all about. Solheim Cup is the best thing in the world. It’s fun. It’s team play. We love to do it every two years, and the competition is just getting that much stiffer.”