It was the greatest comeback in Solheim Cup history.
Team USA entered the week having lost the last two Solheim Cups. The most recent event, in Colorado in 2013, the Europeans absolutely embarrassed the Americans, winning by a margin of 18-10, the biggest blow out in Solheim Cup history.
Entering Sunday, it looked to be more of the same, as Team Europe was rolling the Americans.
It began on Friday. The two teams split the morning foursomes matches, the US failed to win a single match in the afternoon fourball sessions. Europe won three points to the US one, and Team Europe entered Saturday with a 5 to 3 lead.
Team Europe dominated the morning foursomes matches on Saturday. Team Europe won three of their four matches, including an incredible comeback my Charley Hull and Suzann Pettersen. After being four down to Morgan Pressel and Paula Creamer with seven to go, Hull and Pettersen would eventually be three down with four to play. Hull and Pettersen would go on a tear and win the final four holes of the match, and Europe would win three of the four matches of the session. The only match Team USA would win in the session was a 5&4 victory by Stacy Lewis and Gerina Piller, who played well all week.
Team Europe entered the afternoon session with a four point lead, but Team USA fought back. Lexi Thompson and Cristie Kerr won the first match over Azahara Munoz and Carlota Ciganda, and held the lead in two of the remaining three matches. Because of bad weather over two days, the afternoon matches were unable to be completed, but Team USA went to bed Saturday night with a little bit of momentum, and the ability to tie up the matches if they were able to win the three remaining matches in the session.
Things got weird after that.
The one match Team Europe was leading in, with Karine Icher and Catriona Matthew leading Lizette Salas and Brittany Lang, was closed out by the Europeans on the 17th hole. Lewis and Piller were able to close out the final match of the session against Caroline Masson and Caroline Hedwall, leaving the second to last match, Pettersen and Hull against Alison Lee and Brittany Lincicome, crucial. If Team USA could win, they would cut into the lead of the Europeans and give them momentum.
With the match all square on the 17th, Alison Lee missed a putt to win the hole. With a foot and a half left for par, Hull and Pettersen walked off the green and towards the 18th hole. Lee heard someone concede the putt, and Lee picked the ball up. Pettersen, however, informed the rules official that they did not concede the putt. Lee was penalized for picking up her ball, and Team Europe walked to the 18th hole with a one up lead. They eventually closed out the match.
Team USA were infuriated by the event. Lincicome said the mistake was an easy one to make, considering Team Europe’s posture and the fact that they walked off the green before the hole was over. Lincicome said that Hull and Pettersen were already walking towards the 18th tee.
“So maybe that's why Alison thought she heard them say it was good, because their backs were almost to us and they were kind of walking away.” Lincicome said. “And then she just picked it up because she thought she heard someone say it was good. And they both said, `No, we didn't say it was good.' I don't know if it was somebody in the crowd that said it. The putt was a foot. They had given us putts farther than that all day. And Alison just thought she heard it was good."
American Solheim Cup captain Juli Inkster thought it was poor sportsmanship on behalf of Pettersen.
"It's just B.S. as far as I'm concerned," Inkster said. "Everything was going great. I thought it was a great week for women's golf and to put a damper on that. I mean, there's no way they could ever justify that. I don't care what you say, you just don't do that to your peers."
The incident left both Lee and Hull in tears as Pettersen had a heated discussion with Inkster following the match. Even European Solheim Cup legend Dame Laura Davies was quick to criticize Pettersen for her actions.
"Disgusted. We have got our best player, Charley Hull, who has just won a point and she is in floods of tears.” Davies said as she was commentating for Sky Sports. “That tells you the wrong thing was done. How Suzann can justify that I will never, ever know.”
Davies would later add that she’s glad she wasn’t on the team. Stacy Lewis said that Team USA would use that moment to motivate them.
And motivate them it did.
Entering the singles matches four points down, Team USA was trailing in four matches early, looking like the Cup would be sealed before the final matches teed off. Europe got closer to the Cup when Carlota Ciganda rallied from 1 Down against Lexi Thompson in the first match of the session to walk out with a half point. Karine Icher would beat Brittany Lincicome 3&2, and Team Europe would be two and a half points away from retaining the Solheim Cup.
The rally, however, would begin. Morgan Pressel defeated Catriona Matthew in the second match, and Alison Lee was able to rebound found her earlier disappointment and defeat Gwladys Nocera. Still Melissa Reid was able to defeat Brittany Lang and Anna Nordqvist took down Stacy Lewis, putting Team Europe a half point away from retaining the Cup.
Gerina Piller and Caroline Masson walked up the 18th green with Piller holding a 1 Up lead. Piller, however, hit her second shot into a green side bunker while Masson left herself a ten footer for birdie. After Piller’s bunker shot slide nine feet past the hole, Masson had the ability to close out the Solheim Cup in her home country of Germany. She missed her putt, however, and Piller was able to drain a clutch putt to keep Team USA’s hopes alive.
At the bottom half of the draw, Michelle Wie dominated Caroline Hedwall and won 6&4. Cristie Kerr, who was three down at one point, rallied to defeat Charley Hull, handing Hull her first loss of the event. Lizette Salas won three straight holes to take down Azahara Munoz, leaving only two matches left to be decided.
Angela Stanford, who had not won a Solheim Cup match since 2009, was paired against Suzann Pettersen. Stanford went 3 Up early in the match, but Pettersen clawed her way back to square the match. Stanford would quickly respond, draining clutch birdie putts on the 15th and 16th holes to get back to 2 Up, and would close the match on the 17th hole. Moments later, Paula Creamer, who relied on a Captain’s Pick to make the team, closed out Sandra Gal in the last match on the board, and Team USA completed the biggest comeback in Solheim Cup history.
“How fitting.” Stanford said through the tears after her victory.
“Everybody questioned why I was here.” Creamer said after her match. “I’m just proud of myself and proud of my team for believing in me and, of course, Juli for picking me and putting me on this team. The way it finished today, it just is icing on the cake.”
European Captain Carin Koch was gracious in defeat.
“I’m so proud of this team. I’m proud of the way they played, and I’m proud of the way they battled until the very end.” Koch said during the closing ceremonies. “It has been an honor to share this experience with (Juli).”
Inkster seemed almost speechless as the dust settled and the United States was given the Solheim Cup for the first time in three meetings.
“It was an amazing day. A lot of great golf, a lot of great shots.” Inkster said as she was awarded the trophy. “This could have gone either way. We’re fortunate to be on the winning side this year. I’m sure in Des Moines (site of the 2017 matches), the Europeans are going to come out swinging.”
“We had a few run-ins out there, but let’s put that behind us, and let’s do this for women’s golf.”
Inkster, speaking directly to her team, was emotional on stage. “We have had so much fun together. We stuck to our game plan. You twelve players, it’s amazing what you did this week. You never stopped believing. You never gave up. You believed in each other. You picked each other up. That’s what being team mates is all about, and I couldn’t be more proud.”
Team USA will hold the Cup for two years, when they will defend on home soil in Des Moines, Iowa in 2017.