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Jennifer Kupcho holed two long putts, including a 91-foot birdie on the 17th and a winning putt on the 18th, to give the United States an 8-8 tie with Europe after day two of the Solheim Cup.
Jennifer Kupcho holed two remarkable late putts to pull the United States level at 8-8 with Europe after a dramatic second day of the Solheim Cup at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands.
Kupcho, playing alongside Lindy Duncan, drained a 91-foot birdie putt on the 17th to square their match against Carlota Ciganda and Celine Boutier. She then repeated the feat from the edge of the 18th green to snatch an improbable win and send the US team into raptures. The tie leaves the contest to be decided by Sunday's singles, when all 12 players face off.
The US are the current holders and need 14 points to retain the cup, while Europe need 14.5 points to regain the trophy. The US are hoping to win on European soil for the first time since 2015 and lead the overall series 11-7. Europe had built a two-point lead after Saturday morning's foursomes, moving to 7-5 overall. Maja Stark and Linn Grant beat Allisen Corpuz and Nelly Korda 3&2.
Leona Maguire and Esther Henseleit won two of the final three holes to claim another point. Mimi Rhodes and Nastasia Nadaud dominated Andrea Lee and Auston Kim 4&3. But Europe's high-profile pair Charley Hull and Lottie Woad crashed 6&5 to Alison Lee and Lauren Coughlin, one of the heaviest defeats in Solheim history. Questions may be asked about captain Anna Nordqvist's persistence with Hull and Woad as a partnership.
In the afternoon fourballs, Stark and Grant continued their form against Megan Khang and Lauren Coughlin. On the first hole, Stark's approach on the par four dropped straight into the cup for an eagle. The match swung back and forth, but three birdies in a row from the 11th gave the Swedes a two-hole lead. Stark drained her putt on the 17th for a 2&1 win.
It was so nice when you stand over a putt and you know that you have it to win the match and then you actually do it, said Stark. That is the best feeling. Nordqvist made the bold move of sending Hull and Woad out second after their morning drubbing. The top-ranked pairing continued to labour, with a frustrated Hull struggling with her putter.
Yealimi Noh and Andrea Lee secured a 1-up victory. Ireland's Maguire and Nastasia Nadaud lost to Auston Kim and Rose Zhang, the US pair never slipping behind and cruising to a 3&2 win. That turned out to be Europe's only point of the afternoon session, carved out by Stark and Grant. As on Friday evening, the last pairing proved critical.
Ciganda and Boutier took on Kupcho and Duncan. Ciganda continued her fine form from Friday, holing two long-range putts on the front nine to put the European pairing in the box seat. Another pressure putt from the pumped-up Ciganda on the 14th gave them a two-hole lead, the Spaniard slapping her chest to whip up the boisterous Dutch crowd.
Ciganda had been the hero of the opening day for Europe when she emerged from the rough to secure a half on the final hole and ensure the teams were locked at 4-4 overnight. But she failed to repeat the feat on Saturday, missing a birdie putt to keep Europe's hard-earned lead intact. Kupcho's extraordinary 90-foot putt on the 17th clawed the Americans back into contention and they headed up the last hole all square.
Kupcho then produced another mighty putt from the edge of the green to win the match and send the whole US team dancing across the green in celebration. That was amazing, said Kupcho as the crowd chanted her name. Great finish to the match. With the light fading on the Bernardus course, the result leaves the Solheim Cup poised at 8-8 heading into Sunday's decisive singles.
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IrishTimes:Solheim Cup: Jennifer Kupcho produces stunning finish to leave US and Europe level for Sunday singlesThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
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