Hull and Pettersen star as Europe storm into 8-4 lead at Solheim Cup
Saturday 19 September 2015 20:54, UK
Charley Hull and Suzann Pettersen pulled off one of the all-time great comebacks as Europe moved into a commanding lead after Saturday's foursomes at the Solheim Cup.
Hull and Pettersen were three down with four to play against Morgan Pressel and Paula Creamer, but the European pair staged an astonishing rally and birdied the last four holes to snatch a priceless victory for Carin Koch's team.
"This is a robbery," world No 8 Pettersen said. "The greens are so soft I told Charley, let's throw darts at the pins, stay aggressive. You just have to tell her to hit it right at the pin. She is awesome. It's fantastic to play with her."
A devastated Pressel added: "The momentum changed at the 15th when Charley almost had a hole-in-one. To birdie the last four holes in any kind of play is very good, let alone in alternate shots. They hit great shots and made the putts, and the last four holes hurt."
Melissa Reid had earlier celebrated her 28th birthday by partnering Carlota Ciganda to a crushing 4&3 win over Michelle Wie and Alison Lee, and Catriona Matthew and Sandra Gal wrapped up a 3-1 victory in the session when they held off Angela Stanford and Brittany Lincicome at the last.
Gerina Piller and Stacy Lewis put the only red on the board as they thrashed Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall 5&4, but the three wins for Europe swept them into an 8-4 lead heading into the afternoon fourballs.
Reid and Ciganda outclassed Wie and Lee in the top foursomes match, with birdies at the second and third giving them an early lead which they doubled when the American pair made a mess of the seventh.
Wie and Lee pulled one back with a par at eight, but they couldn't match the Europeans' birdie at 11 and a solid par at the 15th was enough to close out a 4&3 victory which extended Ciganda's unbeaten record in the competition to five matches.
But Nordqvist was unable to repeat her stunning form from Friday's fourballs as she and fellow Swede Caroline Hedwall managed only two birdies against Lewis and Piller.
With the match all-square after six, the American pair won five holes in a dominant seven-hole stretch around the turn and completed the biggest win of the contest on the 14th green.
The other two matches went down to the wire, although it looked highly unlikely that Pettersen and Hull would go the distance when the Americans won four holes out of five from the third and then went four up with a birdie at 11.
But Hull rolled in their first birdie putt of the match at the 12th, and she then hit a stunning tee shot at the short 15th which pitched just an inch from the cup and held for a gimme birdie.
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Hull then nailed another putt from 15 feet to win the 17th before knocking a sweet approach to eight feet at the last which Pettersen converted to send the crowds wild.
Gal and Matthew almost blew a three-up lead as they were pegged back to one, and Lincicome piled on the pressure with an approach to two feet at the 17th.
But the experienced Matthew played a delightful second which finished inside of the American ball, and Gal's nerveless six-foot putt for par at the last closed out another thrilling win for a delirious European side.
