Lilia Vu stuck her approach shot at the 18th hole 2 feet from the cup to give herself the go-ahead birdie putt, and the United States team clinched its first Solheim Cup victory since 2017 over Team Europe on Sunday at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville.
With the U.S. leading Europe 14-11 with four matches to go, Switzerland’s Albane Valenzuela led her match against Vu 1 up heading into the final hole. Valenzuela had a long birdie putt to win her match but left it about a foot short.
Vu then made her birdie to halve the match and guaranteed the U.S. the 14 1/2 points necessary to end a three-event losing streak to Europe.
The Americans wound up posting a final score of 15 1/2 points to 12 1/2.
“This has been everything,” said Vu, ranked No. 2 in the world. “I have a picture of the U.S. team winning the Solheim Cup a while back, so it’s on my wall in my room. So this is a dream of mine, and so happy that I was able to do that for them.”
Vu said she told herself she had hit the clinching putt “a million times.”
“I know how to do it. Just go get the job done,” Vu said. “I knew setting up, though, it was going to go in.”
Stacy Lewis, captain of the U.S. team for two straight years, revelled in the victory after her team tied with Team Europe and captain Suzann Pettersen last September in Spain. Europe retained the cup thanks to that 14-14 tie.
“I guess for three years I’ve thought of that moment on 18 where we actually win the cup, and I’ve replayed it over and over in my head,” Lewis said. “It still doesn’t feel real. It’s way sweeter in person. This is just so cool, and I’m so proud of this team. I’m ready to celebrate with them tonight.”
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The Americans entered the day with a 10-6 lead over Europe, and they needed just 4 1/2 points out of Sunday’s 12 singles matches in order to wrest the Solheim Cup back from their rivals.
Europe made the Americans work for it by winning two of the first three singles matches and 6 1/2 of the 12 available points Sunday.
“We gave them a run for their money,” Norway native Pettersen said. “I don’t think anyone expected us to be here at 2:30 and to still have a chance. It’s kind of hard to believe that we actually had a chance with kind of that poor of a start, giving them such a head start. ... Happy for Stacy, obviously, on home turf, but we’ll come back very hungry.”
World No. 1 Nelly Korda was 3-0-0 entering Sunday but came out flat Sunday in the first singles match against Charley Hull of England. She sprayed her opening drive way off target and had putting troubles all day, and Hull cruised to a 6-and-4 victory.
Megna Khang dominated Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen 6 and 5, while Georgia Hall of England answered back for Team Europe with a 4-and-3 victory over Alison Lee.
Rose Zhang was the only player on either team to go 4-0-0 for the week. Her 6-and-4 win over Spain’s Carlota Ciganda gave the United States a 13-8 lead.
Zhang, the 21-year-old phenom who turned professional last year, sank the same sort of long putts she made all week in order to down Ciganda.
“It was so incredible,” Zhang said. “I just feel like the Solheim Cup reignited my passion for the game, and it was so fun to see so many people out here supporting. My teammates have been incredible. We’ve been having so much fun, not only off the golf course but even on it. It’s just been an incredible ride.”
But Europe was not out of the fight.
Andrea Lee, who trailed by two during the back nine, made a clutch birdie on the par-3 16th hole and went on to halve her match against Germany’s Esther Henseleit, which scored a half-point for both sides.
Lexi Thompson, who’s retiring from full-time golf at the end of the season, led France’s Celine Boutier 3 up through eight holes but Boutier charged back. Boutier gave herself a short birdie putt at the par-4 18th and drained it to win the match 1 up.
Ireland’s Leona Maguire then defeated Ally Ewing 4 and 3 to cut Europe’s deficit to three points.
Virginia native Lauren Coughlin had a birdie putt at No. 18 to win the Solheim Cup, but it came up just short. Sweden’s Maja Stark had blown her birdie try at least 7 feet past the cup, but she saved par from there to halve the match and make the score 14-11 U.S.
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