The mood of the home crowd entering the final round of the Solheim Cup at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club was triumphant. After two days of steady golf from the U.S., Sunday felt more like a coronation than anything else.
World #1 Nelly Korda was the first off the tee in a highly anticipated match that would set the tone for the rest of Sunday Singles. An early 6&4 win by Charley Hall over Korda was the first of many crucial points earned by the European side. After Megan Khang closed out Emily Pedersen on the 13th hole, Europe struck back with a dominant performance when Georgia Hall closed out Alison Lee 4&3.
The U.S. would go on to win big in their next two matches with Allisen Corpuz closing out Anna Nordqvist 4&3 and Rose Zhang closing out Solheim Cup stalwart Carlota Ciganda 6&4. Zhang’s win moved her to 4-0-0 for the week, the only player on either side to earn four points this week.
As the morning turned to afternoon, momentum swung hard to the European side. Esther Henseleit and Andrea Lee battled hard down the stretch, resulting in the first tie of this year’s event. At that point in the event, the U.S. was not leading in any of the remaining matches. With Europe needing only 14 points to tie and retain the Cup, the home side quickly became uneasy.
The next match to make it to the 18th was one of the most highly anticipated showdowns of the day, Celine Boutier vs. Lexi Thompson. After an incredible shot into the 18th green, Boutier completed her comeback against the Solheim Cup veteran Thompson winning the match 1-up.
Following the win by Boutier, Lauren Coughlin made her way down the 18th fairway with the opportunity to close out her opponent with a birdie. After a lengthy birdie attempt raced past the hole for Maja Stark, Coughlin stepped into her putt to secure the Cup. Coughlin left the putt short, and Stark holed a clutch 10-foot putt to keep Europe’s hopes alive a few minutes longer.
After winning the 17th hole with a long birdie putt, Lilia Vu came to the 18th with an opportunity to win the hole, tie the match, and secure the Solheim Cup for the U.S. Team. After a drive down the middle, Vu stepped into her shot with the opportunity to turn around what had been a disappointing week. Vu sent the ball into the air and moments later it came to a stop less than two feet from the hole. After a missed birdie putt from Albane Valenzuela, Vu stepped up to her putt, poured it in the middle and celebrated with her teammates surrounding the green.
After a stressful afternoon, the U.S. team came away victorious for the first time since 2017. An event that started with a dominant first day by the U.S. came down to a few key moments late on Sunday.
