Day 2: Fourball Review
Saturday 19 September 2015 20:40, UK
USA pull one point back as slow play and bad light mean only one match is completed by the end of the afternoon fourball session.
The current scores are Europe 8, USA 5, and if current matches stay as they are the scoreline will end the fourballs with Europe 9 and USA 7, with singles still to play tomorrow.
Azahara Munoz & Carlota Ciganda lost to Lexi Thompson & Christie Kerr 3&2
The United States took the early advantage on the second when Lexi Thompson tapped in a comfortable birdie, having narrowly missed an eagle putt. This lead was short-lived though, as Kerr missed her birdie on the third and Ciganda's 20-foot effort put the Europeans back to all square.
The American pair regained the lead as Christie Kerr made her 15 foot putt on the fifth, but Ciganda yet again responded on the very next hole with a huge eagle putt.
For the second time in three holes Kerr put the USA in front with a birdie on the seventh, and this time a birdie from Lexi Thompson on the eighth doubled a lead which they did not let slip for the remainder of the afternoon. Munoz had an important putt of her own on the ninth to stop another loss of hole, and the team halved the next three holes before missed putts let Thompson and Kerr go 3 up with five to play.
A three foot putt for Munoz clawed one back on the 14th, but Thompson holed a long putt on 15 to guarantee at least a half point for the Americans. And another half on the 16th with tap-in birdies was enough to seal the top match 3&2.
Caroline Masson & Caroline Hedwall are 1 down with two to play against Stacy Lewis & Gerina Piller
After four bad drives at the start ensured the first hole would end with a half, Stacy Lewis put the visitors on the front foot with an eagle on the second.
The US players won the next hole to put them 2 up after three, but a birdie from Caroline Hedwall on the fourth pulled the scores back to 1 up, before she just missed a birdie opportunity on the fifth to level the match.
Lewis put her approach to less than a foot from the hole on the sixth, and her easy birdie helped them to go 2 up against Masson and Hedwall. On the seventh another birdie from Hedwall lessened the American advantage, but Lewis retaliated to win the eighth.
The ninth hole proved trouble for the visitors; Lewis hit in to the crowd and then fluffed her wedge, and Piller ended the hole with a bogey, which left Masson to help Europe back to 1 down. Masson helped again on the 10th to keep it at 1 down, but failed to convert an eagle putt that would have levelled the match on 11.
Hedwall then missed a short eagle attempt on 15, and a birdie from Lewis to halve 16 kept the US advantage after Hedwall almost holed her approach shot. With the Americans lying 1 up with two holes to play, both teams shook hands on the 17th tee and agreed to come back in the morning.
Karine Icher & Catriona Matthew are 1 up with three to play against Lizette Salas & Brittany Lang
Europe got off to a flying start in this match as Karine Icher holed long putts for birdie on each of the first three holes to put her and Matthew 3 up after three. Unable to make it four in a row, the American duo responded with a birdie run of their own. A birdie from Lang on four, and one from Salas on the fifth took the lead back to one, and with Icher in the water it was up to Catriona Matthew to hold their lead with a birdie on six.
Another classy shot from Salas on the eighth left her with a tap-in birdie that was enough to take this match back to all square. Salas missed opportunity on nine for birdie to put the Americans ahead, and Icher regained her putting form on the 10th to put the European team back to 1 up at the start of the back nine.
On the 13th a birdie from Lang put pressure on Europe, and neither Matthew nor Icher were able to hold their gain. Icher's approach shot left her with less than three feet on the 14th but she pushed it right, squandering an opportunity to regain the lead. As the light began to run out, Matthew made no mistake on 15 for her birdie to put Europe back to 1 up with three to play, and both teams agreed to come back to finish the match in the morning.
Suzann Pettersen & Charley Hull vs Alison Lee & Brittany Lincicome
Hull and Pettersen began with opportunities to take the lead on the first couple of holes, but with a missed birdie from Hull and missed eagle from Pettersen, the match stayed at all square. More missed birdie opportunities kept the match level until the American pair managed to convert their birdie and go 1 up. Lincicome made it two in a row on the eighth, but Hull's putter turned hot on nine to reduce the deficit to 1 down at the turn.
On the 10th, Lincicome rolled in another putt but Pettersen responded to ensure the hole was halved. Pettersen's chip ran agonisingly over the hole on the 11th, but a putt from Lee preserved the American lead.
Having bounced back back from four down in the morning matches, Pettersen and Hull began what looked to be a comeback on the 12th. A birdie from Pettersen pulled the match to all square, and a dogged fight over the next two holes kept the match even. There was inches between Lincicome and Hull's shots to the par 3 on 15, but after a rare miss from Hull the two teams agreed to finish the final three holes in the morning with the USA in front by one hole.
