Solheim Cup 2021: Team USA produce foursomes fightback to reduce Team Europe's lead to 6.5-5.5
Team USA win three of the four foursomes matches to cut Europe's lead to 6.5-5.5 at the Solheim Cup; Leona Maguire and Mel Reid the only players to win a point for the visitors in the morning session
Monday 6 September 2021 00:44, UK
Leona Maguire and Mel Reid claimed a dominant victory in the morning foursomes at the Solheim Cup, only for Team USA to make an impressive fightback and reduce Europe's lead.
The pair, who also won together on the opening day, extended their unbeaten starts to the contest by thrashing world No 1 Nelly Korda and Ally Ewing 5&4 to win the first point of the day at the Inverness Club.
That victory temporarily moved Catriona Matthew's side four ahead, having followed an unbeaten foursomes session by claiming a share of the spoils in the fourballs on the opening day, only for Team USA to win the remain three matches on the course and cut Europe's lead to a single point.
Danielle Kang and Austin Ernst claimed a 1up victory over Georgia Hall and Madelene Sagstrom, with Lexi Thompson and Brittany Altomare seeing off Charley Hull and Emily Pedersen by a 2&1 margin.
Jennifer Kupcho and Lizette Salas trailed with five holes to play in the final match against Anna Nordqvist and Matilda Castren, who won both matches together on the opening day, before winning four consecutive holes from the 14th to win 3&1 and ensure USA would only trail 6.5-5.5 going into the afternoon fourballs.
Kang & Ernst def Hall and Sagstrom 1up
Sagstrom rolled in a 15-footer at the first and Hall made a close-range birdie at the second, only for Kang to hole from 10 feet at the sixth to win the first of back-to-back holes for Team USA.
The European pair birdied the par-five eighth and moved back ahead when Hall drained a long-range birdie at the 10th, before Kang birdied the 13th and Sagstrom lipped out from six feet at the next to put Team USA one ahead with four to play.
A par at the last was enough to give the hosts a narrow victory and inflict Hall's first Solheim Cup defeat since the final-day singles in 2017.
Thompson and Altomare def Hull and Pedersen 2&1
Thompson posted a birdie at the second but Team USA found themselves behind when Pedersen holed from long-range at the third and made another at the par-four next, before the hosts won successive holes from the seventh to reach the turn one ahead.
Altomare doubled their advantage with a 30-foot birdie at the 10th and although Pedersen picked up a shot at the par-five 13th, Thompson rolled in a long birdie to register her first full point since the 2017 contest.
Maguire and Reid def Korda and Ewing 5&4
Pars at the first and third were enough for Europe to quickly move two ahead, with the visitors moving three ahead when Korda thinned her ball from the sand into the water on their way to a double-bogey six.
The two teams exchanged wins over the next four holes, with Europe claiming the fifth and seventh and USA claiming the sixth and eighth, only for a par at the ninth and a Reid birdie at the tenth extended their lead to five.
Reid walked in from six feet at the 12th to move Europe six up with six to play and Korda produced a long-range eagle at the par-five next to keep the match alive, before Maguire holed from six feet at the 14th to complete a convincing victory.
Nordqvist and Castren lost to Lizette Salas and Jennifer Kupcho 3&1
Europe won the opening hole with a par and led throughout the contest, with Castren adding a birdie at the third and responding to Salas winning the sixth hole by claiming the par-four next.
A bogey was enough for Team USA to win the eighth hole and reduce Europe's lead to a single hole, with back-to-back holes from the hosts from the 14th followed a long-range putt from Salas at the 16th and Kupcho at the next to see out victory in style.
Watch the Solheim Cup throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues on Monday from 4.30pm on Sky Sports Golf!
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