Lexi Catches Fire, U.S. Wins Solheim Cup

Team U.S.A. went back-to-back at the Solheim Cup, winning on Sunday in impressive fashion over team Europe, 16.5-11.5. 

Carrying a five-point lead into the final day at Des Moines Golf and Country Club thanks to a clean sweep by the U.S. during Friday’s afternoon fourball matches, the two squads split their Sunday signal matches allowing the U.S. to reach the 14 points needed to retain the cup first. However, it was the opening match between Lexi Thomson and Anna Nordqvist that left everybody buzzing.

The Swede jumped out to a quick 4-up lead on the front side after she won the first four holes, while Thompson struggled to get anything going. That’s when Captain Juli Inkster and Assistant Captain Nancy Lopez stepped in mid-round and gave Thompson a pep talk that apparently resonated quite loudly because after that Thompson proceeded to go on one of the greatest runs in Solheim Cup history.

The 22-year-old American birdied the par-4 10th to get to 3-down. Then she holed out for eagle on par-5 11 to get to 2-down. They halved the 12th with pars, but Thompson went back to work by taking the par-4 13th with a birdie to get to 1-down.

After they halved the par-3-14th with birdies, Thompson holed another amazing putt for eagle on the par-5 15th to square the match. 

Thompson kept it rolling and took the outright lead on the 16th with another birdie. To recap quickly, that’s birdie-eagle-par-birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie, or 8-under through seven holes! 

They halved the 17th hole and then Nordqvist came right back on 18 and fired a dart to kick-in range to win the hole and halve the match. 

In the end, they both received a half a point for their efforts.

“That had to be the weirdest round of golf I ever played,” said Thompson on the Golf Channel after her round. She finished two over on the front nine and seven under on the back. “The front nine I don’t think I was awake, and the back nine I just played lights out.”

Cristie Kerr made history as well with a 2-and-1 win over Mel Reid in the third match, giving her 21 career points in the Solheim Cup, the most points for the U.S. team of all time. 

Captain’s pick Paula Creamer — who replaced an injured Jessica Korda — now has 19.5 points in the Solheim Cup, putting her in second on the all-time U.S. points list ahead of Captain Juli Inkster (18.5 points). Creamer was 3-1 this week, while Kerr posted a 3-0-1 record.

18-year-old Solheim Cup rookie Angel Yin rolled in the clinching par putt on the 18th to halve her match with Karine Icher, guaranteeing the U.S. their 14th point to retain the Solheim Cup.

Here’s a look at Sunday’s singles match highlights: 

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