Korda finally beaten as Europe grasp slender Solheim lead / Photo: NICOLAS TUCAT - AFP
Korda finally beaten as Europe grasp slender Solheim lead
World number one Nelly Korda finally tasted defeat in a Solheim Cup foursomes match on Saturday, as Europe took a precious 7-5 lead over the United States after a dramatic session.
With the two teams tied at 4-4, US captain Angela Stanford led off with her star player Korda paired with Allisen Corpuz, who together held a record winning streak of five consecutive victories.
They were up against the Swedish pairing of Maja Stark and Linn Grant and, like on Friday, the US favourites got off to a shaky start, losing the first hole.
But this time there was no immediate response and the unbeaten pairing went two behind after missing a mid-range putt on the seventh.
Stark then produced the highlight of the session, chipping in from well off the green for an eagle at the eighth to secure a three-hole advantage.
Korda lipped out at the ninth, leaving them with a mountain to climb, four down at the turn.
But the Americans were not giving up their unbeaten record without a fight and took the first two holes on the back nine to halve their deficit.
The Europeans held firm though to claim a famous 3&2 victory on the 16th, as Stark holed a mid-range putt to spark wild celebrations from a raucous crowd.
"It's the best feeling ever," said Stark. "We're kind of hard to beat when we don't make any bogeys."
- 'Very comfortable' -
Behind them, Europe's Leona Maguire and Esther Henseleit squeezed out the US pairing of Jennifer Kupcho and Rose Zhang one-up in a thrilling encounter.
All square down the 18th, Zhang failed to escape from a sand trap, handing the Europeans a golden opportunity to take the hole and the match.
Henseleit pitched close to the pin in an extraordinary effort from off the green to give the Europeans a precious point.
"I was just trying to make contact to be honest and get it up there. I had a bit of luck," said a beaming Henseleit.
In the third match, Europe captain Anna Nordqvist sent out the flying rookie pairing of Mimi Rhodes and Nastasia Nadaud out again against Andrea Lee and Auston Kim.
And the debutants repaid their captain's confidence with another nerveless display, taking a 4&3 win to become the first rookie pair to take two points at the same Solheim Cup.
"After yesterday's win, we felt very comfortable. We played very sensibly, hit loads of fairways and greens and gave ourselves lots of opportunities," said Nadaud.
The last match saw Europe's own top pairing Charley Hull and Lottie Woad, both in the world's top 10, suffer a 6&5 drubbing at the hands of Alison Lee and Lauren Coughlin.
Few could pick a winner before the competition, with the two sides evenly matched.
This was borne out by Friday's play, in which both the foursomes and fourball sessions were tied 2-2, for the first time in Solheim Cup history.
The United States team are hoping to win the trophy on European soil for the first time since 2015. They lead the overall series 11-7.
It will boil down to Sunday's singles, where all 12 players face off for the crucial points that will decide the winner.
The US are the current holders, meaning they need 14 points to retain the cup. Europe need a minimum of 14.5 points to regain the trophy.
S.Lambert--JdB
