Another remarkable Solheim Cup is now in the books, with USA holding off a Sunday fightback from Europe to get their hands on the trophy for the first time since 2017.
The greatest team event in women’s golf did not fail to deliver once again, despite having an almost impossible act to follow after last year’s tie in Spain. Heading into the final stages on Sunday, it appeared that Europe had a real chance of coming from 10-6 down to do enough to keep the Solheim Cup trophy for another two years.
Of course, much of the talk from a European perspective throughout the week concerned trying to quieten the crowds at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, with momentum so important in these kinds of events.
Unfortunately for the visitors, all of the momentum was with Stacy Lewis and the Americans on the opening day, with both sessions ending 3-1 to the challengers. From there, it was a mountain to climb, particularly with the fans well aware that USA were well on their way to glory.
Dame Laura Davies comments on the American crowds at the Solheim Cup
But Europe did an amazing job to set up a grandstand finish on Sunday, with tension ramping up and up as Suzann Pettersen’s side got closer to producing a miracle which would have been as special as Medinah or Germany in 2015.
Ultimately, the US were just about able to do enough to get across the line. And speaking on Sky Sports (broadcast on 15/9), European vice-captain Dame Laura Davies admitted that she could start to sense the tide turning at the crucial moment from some of the roars heard around the course.
“The damage was definitely done day one. Obviously, we halved it yesterday, I can’t even do the maths quick enough [from the singles]. So yeah, that first session, 3-1, 3-1, it doesn’t sound much, two in the morning, two in the afternoon, but it’s such a deficit and we couldn’t quite claw it back,” she said.
“But the Americans had superb support as well, and I must admit late this afternoon, some of those cheers were really getting me down a bit, but that’s home advantage and fair play to them.”
The cheers hit harder after nightmare first day for Europe
Those cheers over the last two days had added significance after the first two sessions. Europe knew after Friday that they needed to be nearly perfect if they were going to produce another stunning comeback.
So every time there was a roar elsewhere on the golf course, the Europeans would have known that the Americans had won a hole or done something special to secure a crucial half.
Pettersen’s side deserve so much credit for fighting back on Sunday and taking things to the wire – the scoreline does not do justice to the drama on the final day – but it was ultimately Lewis’ team and the home fans who were celebrating.
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