Key events
Leona Maguire is a match play magician. She’s also a deadly killer with her hybrids, creaming one of them right to the flag on the par-three 3rd. She hits the six-foot birdie putt she set up, marking an instant turnaround for the Irish star in the second match. No trace of emotion on her face as she makes her way to the next tee. She is in business mode.
Grant vs. Khang 1UP (3)
1UP Maguire vs. Zhang (3)
Hull v Kang 1UP (1)
Nordqvist A/S Kupcho (1)
Kupcho hits a putt that will not surprise you, two meters past the hole. She had trouble with the flat stick yesterday and that is not a good early sign. The door is ajar for Nordqvist, but she doesn’t have much confidence either, with no contribution to the scoreboard after three games, and is poking at her putt with some uncertainty. Just the par, and that allows Kupcho to throw in her par putt. That will help the 2019 Augusta National winner and 2022 winner Dinah Shore.
Grant vs. Khang 1UP (3)
Maguire A/S Zhang (2)
Hull v Kang 1UP (1)
Nordqvist A/S Kupcho (1)
Europe needs something to happen… and Leona Maguire is making sure it happens on the 2nd! She rakes in a 30-foot birdie putt to take her match with Rose Zhang to the next level. Meanwhile, back at 1, Anna Nordqvist sends a garden wedge to 12 feet as Jennifer Kupcho half-blows her chip off the rough back, leaving a long birdie putt. Small advantage for the Swede.
Jennifer Kupcho next on the first tee. She has been up and down this week, but has always played aggressively, and there is no change in approach here. She takes the driver and finds the rough spot at the back of the green. Anna Nordqvist doesn’t have the power play to reach the green, so she sends a 3-wood to the right. And off they go on a journey.
Danielle Kang has been the epitome of super cool all week, and she comes out of the blocks today with a soft wedge that reaches several feet. It won’t be admitted – not yet – but it’s certainly a birdie. Charley Hull takes a little too much sand but still leaves himself a birdie opportunity from 10 feet. However, she slides a nervous punch wide to the right and that’s three out of three for the US. What a statement this is from the visiting team.
Grant vs. Khang 1UP (2)
Maguire vs. Zhang 1UP (1)
Hull v Kang 1UP (1)
Linn Grant reaches the second green with two big shots and is not far from her Eagle Putt. But it’s just a tap bird, and that’s not enough for the bounceback win as Megan Khang rolls a confident three yards into the cup for her bird and the gap is closed. The US remains one leader in the main event.
The third match is between Danielle Kang and Charley Hull. Kang plays safely on the right, albeit a little closer to the water than she would have liked when the ball was in mid-flight; Hull shuns the green and finds the bunker at the back right. Both dry, that’s the most important thing.
The fastest start for the US! Leona Maguire’s wedge is a little tentative, while Rose Zhang’s chip from the Bermuda grass at the back of the green is delicate and delightful. She cuts it to a few feet, and after Maguire leaves her 15-foot putt short, she cleans up for the win. The Americans have thrown down the gauntlet well.
Grant v Khang 1UP (1)
Maguire vs. Zhang 1UP (1)
A reminder of the winning line: Europe retains the trophy with 14 points but needs 14½ to win it; the US needs 14½ to win. Next up is Rose Zhang, who takes the driver and sends it into the thick rough to the right of the green. She’s hanging out today with Leona Maguire, who sends a 3-wood right of the water down the fairway. Nice and safe on the short stuff.
Grant v Khang 1UP (1)
Maguire vs. Zhang
It’s windy today, so Megan Khang would do well to wedge to 15 feet; Linn Grant doesn’t really commit to her chip from the back and leaves herself 7.5 meters short. Grant sends a swinging putt from left to right over the green, and if she had given him a few more joules of energy, it would have been a birdie. But it’s a pickup par. Over to Khang, who has a chance to take an early lead… and it goes in. A flying start for the US!
Grant v Khang 1UP (1)
Excited? Yes, we too. So take that feeling, multiply it by a thousand, then a million, put it on the end of a stick and fire the whole thing into the sun. That should give you a rough idea of the atmosphere on the first tee right now. It’s absolutely bedlam. No wonder how this tournament has developed and how precarious it is now. Megan Khang will hit the first shot of this super Sunday shootout. There’s a sudden silence… and she hits a 3-wood to the right of the hole. Not going for the green in the single… wait a minute! Her opponent Linn Grant hits her 3-wood over the water and straight to the pin! Her ball bounces onto the green and then off the back. She smiled happily once the pond was clear. Ready for battle? I think so.
Preamble
Europe is going for an unprecedented third Solheim Cup in a row. No one would have given them the chance to complete the trifecta after they were whitewashed in Friday’s morning celebrations. But now look…
Europe 8-8 USA
…and it really is all to play for. The starting times and combinations for the Sunday singles are below. (Ladies Europe firstalways BST.) If 2019 and 2021 are anything to go by, it’s going to be one hell of a ride. It is on!
10:10am: Linn Grant vs. Megan Khang
10:22: Leona Maguire vs. Rose Zhang
10:34: Charley Hull vs. Danielle Kang
10:46: Anna Nordqvist vs. Jennifer Kupcho
10:58am: Georgia Hall vs. Andrea Lee
11.10am: Gemma Dryburgh vs Cheyenne Knight
11:22: Celine Boutier vs. Angel Yin
11.34am: Caroline Hedwall v Ally Ewing
11:46: Madelene Sagstrom vs. Lilia Vu
11.58am: Maja Stark vs. Allisen Corpuz
12.10: Carlota Ciganda vs. Nelly Korda
12:22: Emily Pedersen vs. Lexi Thompson