Solheim Stunner — Europe Sticks It To Overconfident Americans

The good old USA Solheim Cup team made one crucial mistake.

It came to Scotland accompanied by some trash talking.

Danielle Kang forgot the first rule of team competition — don’t fire up the competition.  She talked before the matches about “taking souls and make the opponents cry.”

Apparently the Scottish bakers were busy Sunday afternoon cooking up enough humble pie for Kang and the rest of the Americans to chomp on after the heavy under-dog European team took the American souls and made them cry.

What transpired at Gleneagles on Sunday was a mighty and very late comeback by Europe when it looked like the U.S. team might actually win in spite of itself.  What U.S. captain Julie Inkster didn’t count  on was Europe winning the last three matches of the day to pull out a 14 1/2 to 13 1/2 mega-upset of an American team that couldn’t produce when needed.

This one was a combination of Europe coming through and of course, the Americans choking.

Inkster was standing around ready for a victory dance after Lizette Salas, Jessica Korda, Nellie Korda and Brittany Altomare all won their matches to put the U.S. in pretty good position.

Then things started to get very nervous for the Americans.

Anna Nordqvist had just tromped on Morgan Pressel and Inkster saw the score get to 13 1/2 – 12 1/2.  All the U.S. needed was a measly half a point.  A huge roar went up a moment later when Bronte Law birdied the 17th to close out Ally McDonald, 2-and-1.  Just like that it was tied up — 13 1/2 for each side.

It all came down to veteran Suzanne Pettersen for Europe and Marina Alex for the Americans.  Both were inside 90 yards for their third shots into the par five 18th — Pettersen about 89 yards, Alex about 85.  Pettersen, a controversial captain’s pick, stuck her wedge shot to five feet, Alex had a good response, hers stopped about seven feet — seven feet from a U.S. victory.

Everyone heard the roars from the Law-McDonald finish.

Alex was up.  And three days of matches came down to a single seven-footer for the U.S.  Make it and the U.S. wins, miss it and Pettersen still had to make hers to make for victory.

The U.S. side was shrouded in stunned silence after Alex missed.

Pettersen then showed why she won 15 LPGA titles and two major championships as she calmly poured in her birdie putt dead-center cut.

“We knew it was gonna come down to the last few matches,” Pettersen said.

European pandemonium ensued but amid the joy and celebrating, Pettersen called it a career.

“I mean, can you ask for more?” Pettersen said.  “The last putt to win the Cup, when it’s that close? History was just made, to win here in front of the Scottish — this crowd, to be here most of all. I could never in a million miles dream it.

“I think is fantastic closure to my career.  This is it.”

While the Europeans celebrated, the Americans only had to look at themselves to see who lost  the cup.

Lexi Thompson, the world’s No. 3 and highest-ranked player in the competition, failed to win a match for the U.S.   She went 0-2-2, and in Sunday’s finale, it was reported she had back spasms before she teed off.  Her back was eventually okay but she had putter spasms after that and missed short putts at the 10th, 11th and 15th holes that doomed her in her loss to Georgia Hall.

The only bright spots in the American losing effort were the Korda sisters — Jessica (3-0-1) and Nellie (3-0-1).

This one will go down as The Great European Rally.

Sure, it was tied 8-8 to start the singles matches but all the U.S. needed was that miserable half point.

American Captain Inkster, who won’t captain another team, can look back and see she had inexperience down the stretch — Marina Alex against Pettersen, Ally McDonald vs. Bronte Law then Morgan Pressel, whose game has been dormant for a long time, up against the stronger, longer Nordqvist in the anchor match — and that one was never in doubt.

Next go-round, perhaps rookies like Danielle Kang (1-3) will re-think the urge to trash talk.

Chalk this one up as a great victory for the Europeans and one huge, egg-on-their faces defeat for team USA.

Solheim Cup Scoreboard: