U.S. tops Europe; Lake Worth’s Pano loses singles match
Alexa Pano and her United States teammates defeated Europe 12½-11½ to win the 2018 Junior Ryder Cup on Tuesday in Paris.
Rachel Heck, 16, of Memphis, Tennessee, clinched the winning half-point on the 18th hole with a 12-foot birdie putt that halved the match with Annabell Fuller, 16, of England.
After her 25-foot birdie putt helped the U.S. lead by 3 points after Monday’s matches at Disneyland Paris, Lake Worth’s Pano lost her singles match Tuesday to Alessia Nobilio of Italy 2 and 1.
Heck, a Stanford commit who made the cut last week in her second major on the LPGA Tour at the Evian Masters, was happy to be in the middle of the joyous celebration.
“It was the most incredible experience of my life,” Heck said. “It is so nice to be in Paris playing with my best friends.”
Michael Thorbjornsen, 16, of Wellseley, Massachusetts, set up Heck with a 315-yard drive to the green, within 5 feet of the No. 18 pin. His eagle putt on the par 4 was true for a 2-up win over 15-year-old Spaniard David Puig. The late-match heroics ensured the U.S. would retain the Junior Ryder Cup as the defending champion only needs a tie (12 points) to maintain possession of the trophy.
U.S. Captain Allen Wronowski said he was proud of his team.
“We buckled down and won on a tough final day,” Wronowski said. “Europe had no stop, they’re great players, and it went down to every match, and it was very exciting. I couldn’t be prouder of every one of these players. These are memories that these players will take with them for the rest of their lives.”