Europe tops US, keeps Solheim Cup
Europe retained the Solheim Cup on Monday, clinching just its second victory on U.S. soil when Matilda Castren closed out Lizette Salas 1 up to give the visitors the decisive point in a 15-13 victory.
Castren calmly curled in a 10-foot par putt on the 18th to edge Salas and give Europe back-to-back Cup victories for just the second time in the 31-year history of the biennial showdown between the two rivals.
“It’s just crazy, crazy,” said the 26-yearold who became eligible to make the team only after winning an event in her native Finland in July. “I can’t believe I made that putt. I knew it was important. Me and (my caddie) read the putt perfectly and it went in. It’s just such an amazing feeling, and so proud to be part of this team.”
Two years after needing a dramatic 7-foot putt by Suzann Pettersen to slip by the Americans at Gleneagles, the final putt this time was more of an exclamation point on the visitors’ three days of steady and occasionally spectacular play in Toledo, Ohio.
When Emily Pedersen rolled in a birdie putt on the 18th to close out Danielle Kang, the Europeans poured onto the green in celebration, hoisting captain Catriona Matthew on their shoulders while shouting the chorus to “Sweet Caroline.”
College football: Minnesota fifth-year
senior RB Mohamed Ibrahim will miss the rest of the season after suffering a leg injury during the Gophers’ loss to No. 4 Ohio State on Thursday. Coach P.J. Fleck didn’t give specifics on the injury. Ibrahim, who will have surgery Tuesday and need four to six months to recover, was a preseason AP All-America second-team selection after being the only Big Ten player to rush for at least 1,000 yards in 2020. He also set Minnesota’s single-season record for rushing average (153.7 ypg) and ranked second nationally in scrimmage yards per game (161.7) . ... Alabama senior LB Christopher Allen likely will miss the rest of the season after suffering a fractured foot during the top-ranked Crimson Tide’s victory over No. 14 Miami on Saturday. Allen, a second-team All-SEC selection last season after leading the conference in tackles for loss, will need surgery. Michigan WR Ronnie Bell will miss the rest of the season with a right knee injury. Bell was injured on a punt return in the second quarter of the Wolverines’ win over Western Michigan. The senior and captain had one catch for a 76-yard TD before the injury. Bell led Michigan in receiving yards in 2020, with 401 yards and one TD on 26 receptions in six games.
NFL: The Giants expect RB Saquon Barkley to play in Sunday’s season opener against the Broncos, ESPN reported. The 2018 offensive rookie of the year made it through his first contact practice late last week in a return from a torn ACL. The Giants plan to limit Barkley’s carries early in the season. ... The Jets are hopeful that WR Jamison Crowder will play in the team’s opener against the Panthers. Crowder tested positive for COVID-19 last week and is experiencing symptoms, but league protocols allow him to return with two negative tests 24 hours apart because he’s vaccinated.
Soccer: Brazilian great Pelé announced that he had an apparent tumor on the right side of his colon removed in an operation. The 80-year-old three-time World Cup winner called the operation a “great victory.”