Europe and USA share two wins each in Saturday foursomes, giving the home team a 6½ to 5½ lead going into the afternoon fourballs.
Saturday 14 September 2019 15:53, UK
Europe maintained their one-point lead at the Solheim Cup as the Saturday morning foursomes resulted in two wins each in blustery conditions at Gleneagles.
Charley Hull and Azahara Munoz bounced back from their disappointment at letting slip a four-hole lead with six to play yesterday afternoon as they cruised to a 4&3 win over Danielle Kang and Megan Khang, while Georgia Hall and Celine Boutier made it two wins out of two in the foursomes.
But Anne Van Dam and Anna Nordqvist were stunned by a remarkable fightback from Morgan Pressel and Marina Alex in the top match, the American pair being four down after six holes before winning seven of the next nine and holding on to complete a 2&1 win.
And there was more red on the board in the anchor match, which became the first to finish as the Impressive Korda sisters, Jessica and Nelly, cruised to a 6&5 victory over Bronte Law and Carlota Ciganda, who halved both their matches together on day one but failed to muster a single birdie.
European captain Catriona Matthew then sprang a surprise when she left out Hull from her afternoon fourballs line-up, although Munoz and Ciganda both retained their places and will play in all five sessions.
Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Caroline Masson, who were crushed 6&4 by the Kordas in the opening session, were paired together again for the fourth session, with Ciganda and Munoz teaming up for the final match of the day against Kang and Lizette Salas.
Team USA captain Juli Inkster restored Lexi Thompson to her line-up, and she stayed true to her philosophy of none of her players featuring in all five matches as she benched the Korda siblings.
After the holders snatched two priceless halves on the 18th in fading light on Friday evening, Europe set about atoning immediately when Van Dam and Nordqvist gave them the ideal start, making four birdies in five holes to open up a big early lead before Pressel holed an excellent par putt on the seventh to pull a hole back and ignite a huge turnaround.
The European pair got into trouble on the long ninth and conceded, and Pressel and Alex won the next four holes to turn a four-hole deficit into a two-up lead, which they extended when the shellshocked European duo bogeyed 15 before a home birdie at 16 was too little, too late.
Hall and Boutier halved nine of the first 10 holes against Salas and Ally McDonald, but the Anglo-French combination made a decisive move with back-to-back birdies at 11 and 12 before holding firm to close out a 3&2 victory.
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Hull and Munoz were always in control of match three after winning the opening three holes, two of them with pars, and they doubled their lead around the turn thanks to some ragged play from their opponents, whose rallied briefly with wins at 12 and 13 before running out of holes.
And the final match was also a one-sided affair with the Kordas, one up after six holes, winning four of the next six with battling pars before Law and Ciganda conceded defeat on the 13th green.
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