Euros roll to Solheim Cup win

Dennis Georgatos, The Sports Xchange August 18, 2013The SportsXchange

PARKER, Colo. -- Sweden's Caroline Hedwall made the shot that started the Europeans' celebration. Scotland's Catriona Matthew put the party into high gear.

Hedwall gently tapped in a 4-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at Colorado Golf Club on Sunday for a one-stroke victory over American Michelle Wie, securing the point that enabled the Europeans to retain the Solheim Cup.

With Hedwall getting the 14th team point, the Europeans were assured of at least a tie in team scoring. That was enough to guarantee that Europe would retain the Cup it won two years ago in Ireland.

Just a few minutes later, when Matthew halved her match with American Gerina Piller, it gave Europe 14.5 points and assured the Europeans their first Solheim Cup victory on American soil.

"It's massive for women's golf, massive for the Solheim Cup," said Suzann Pettersen of Norway, who halved her match with Lizette Salas. "And for us, it's historical, to win on American soil, in Colorado, in front of pretty much an all-American crowd. We took it to them, and they couldn't answer."

When it was all said and done, except for the melodic chants of "Ole, Ole, Ole," ringing through the golf course into the night, the Europeans won 18-10. It was the biggest margin of victory in the history of the Solheim Cup.

"It's not the result that we wanted, obviously," U.S. captain Meg Mallon said. "But unfortunately, today was a European day. ... They played some great golf this week and really deserved to win."

Matthew, who trailed Piller by two strokes after 13 holes and by one as late the 16th before squaring the match, assured that the event would go down as an outright victory for the Europeans.

"It's a fantastic feeling," European captain Liselotte Neumann said. "I just can't tell you how proud I am of all of them. They all really played so well. Everybody has done something great for the team."

After sinking the putt to win her match, Hedwall pumped her fist in triumph when she saw the ball drop in the hole and then got a bear hug from her caddy. She got a congratulatory hug from Wie and then turned back toward the gallery to embrace a rush of teammates.

The momentous putt came soon after play was resumed after a weather delay of about one hour.

"I don't know what to say right now," Hedwall said. "I'm just shaking. It's such a good feeling. This is what you practice for, to be part of this moment. It's unbelievable."

Wie had a chance to square the match with a 25-foot birdie putt, but the lie ran downhill and her attempt slipped just past the hole to the right. That set the stage for Hedwall's 1-up victory and the Europeans' 14th team point.

"She birdied the last hole to win, and there's nothing really I can do about that," Wie said. "I played my heart out today. There's nothing more I can ask for. I hung in there, stuck it out. They played great this week, and there's nothing you can do about that."

Hedwall did especially well, going 5-0 in Solheim Cup match play this week.

The Europeans positioned themselves for their first back-to-back wins in the event by sweeping all four four-Ball matches during Saturday afternoon's session.

They led 10.5-5.5 heading into Sunday's final, which consisted of 12 singles match-play encounters, and needed only 3.5 points to retain the Cup, putting tremendous pressure on the Americans to win nearly every match.

It couldn't be done.

The visitors wound up with five wins in the 12 singles matches, and five other matches were halved.

The Europeans scored the first point of the day when Charley Hull, a 17-year-old rookie who's the youngest ever to play in the Solheim Cup, swept past U.S. tour veteran Paula Creamer 5 and 4.

"I just didn't bring it today," said Creamer, who graciously signed a ball for Hull when she asked her to after the match. "This Solheim Cup brings the best and worst out of you.

"I wish I could've given her a better battle."

Hull birdied the sixth and seventh holes to go 2-up and then won three of the next five holes to extend her advantage to a commanding 5-up.

"I wasn't really thinking what she was doing, too much," Hull said. "I just played my own game."

American Stacy Lewis grabbed a 1-up advantage on Sweden's Anna Nordqvist with a birdie putt on the par-4 14th hole, her first lead of the day. But Nordqvist came back to drain an 18-foot birdie to win the 17th, where she made a hole-in-one to win her four-ball match on Saturday. Lewis and Nordqvist then both made par putts on No. 18, and the match was halved.

Carlota Ciganda of Spain, playing in her first Solheim Cup, birdied five consecutive holes to take a 4-and-2 win over Morgan Pressel, pulling Europe to within a point of victory.

Brittany Lang stalled the European momentum with a 2-and-1 win over Spain's Azahara Munoz, but it wasn't enough.

Europe finally wins the Solheim Cup in America

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DOUG FERGUSON (AP Golf Writer) August 18, 2013AP - Sports

PARKER, Colo. (AP) -- Even with six rookies on her team, captain Liselotte Neumann told the Europeans this was their time to make history in the Solheim Cup.

All she wanted was for them to prove they could win in America.

They gave her so much more.

Caroline Hedwall became the first player in Solheim Cup history to win five matches, and the final point was for more than the 24-year-old Swede. She stuck her approach on the 435-yard 18th hole into 4 feet for a birdie that gave her a 1-up win over Michelle Wie and assured Europe of keeping the cup.

''I'm still shaking,'' Hedwall said. ''It's just amazing.''

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Europe's Charley Hull, from England, misses a birdie putt on the eighth hole during her singles matc …

Moments later, Catriona Matthew holed a 5-foot par putt to halve her match and give Europe the outright win on the seventh try in America.

And it only got better.

Even as the celebration played out across Colorado Golf Club, tears rushing over the European stickers on their cheeks, Neumann's crew kept battling for half-points until the very end. The Solheim Cup ended when Cristie Kerr and Karine Icher reached the 18th green - the scene of this great outdoor party - and conceding each other birdies to get on with the celebration.

That final half-point put Europe in the record books again - 18-10, the biggest blowout since this competition began in 1990.

''It was really fun to see Caroline get her fifth point this week, making some history on the team,'' Neumann said. ''Winning here for the first time, making more history. ... I'm sure we'll go have a drink or two and do some dancing and singing tonight.''

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Europe's Caroline Hedwall, from Sweden, hits from a sand trap on the eighth hole during her singles  …

The Americans have an 8-5 lead in the series, though this is the first time they have lost back-to-back in the Solheim Cup. The Americans are without the Solheim Cup, the Ryder Cup, the Walker Cup and the Curtis Cup, the four biggest team events between both sides of the Atlantic.

U.S. captain Meg Mallon, gracious to the end, could only point to a poor performances on the slick greens - and her team's inability to close. Over the final three-hole stretch, Europe had a 17-10 advantage in holes won.

''The way we played 16, 17 and 18 I think is what really made the difference,'' Mallon said. ''It wasn't for lack of preparation because we played this golf course quite a bit. So it wasn't like a surprise for us. It was just a matter of who dropped the putts on those holes. And unfortunately, it was the Europeans.''

And she didn't get much help from her best players.

Stacy Lewis, the highest-ranked American coming off a Women's British Open title at St. Andrews, went 1-2-1 for the week. Paula Creamer was 1-3 and was blown out by a 17-year-old Charley Hull in Sunday singles. Angela Stanford was the other player without a point this week, going 0-4. Cristie Kerr, the most experienced American on the team, went 1-2-1.

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United States' Michelle Wie pumps her fist after winning the eighth hole during her singles match ag …

Europe's rookies were 12-5-2, with Hull stealing the show. The English teenager showed no fear, at one point asking Neumann, ''When am I supposed to be nervous?''

''I didn't really feel that nervous, to be honest,'' Hull said. ''Because this is how I always look at golf - I'm not going to die if I miss it. Just hit it, and find it, and hit it again.''

It really was that simple.

''It's a fantastic feeling right now,'' Neumann said. ''I'm so proud of them. They played such good golf this week. They just played tremendous golf.''

Hull, the youngest player in Solheim Cup history, capped off her amazing week by demolishing Creamer in a match that set the tone for Europe. Another rookie, Carlota Ciganda, handed Morgan Pressel her first lost in singles in four appearances to go 3-0 for the week.

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Europe's Anna Nordqvist, from Sweden, reacts after winning the 17th hole to tie United States' Stacy …

Not even a one-hour delay due to lightning in the area could damper this European celebration. Suzann Pettersen was lining up her putt on the 16th hole when she heard the cheers from the 18th, got the news that Hedwall won her match and began pumping her fist.

Matthew holed the winning the putt, but the Europeans really won Saturday afternoon when they swept the fourballs matches to build a 10 1/2-5 1/2 lead, matching the largest margin going into Sunday.

Raucous cheering on the first tee raised American hopes of the greatest comeback in Solheim Cup history.

Once they got on the golf course, it was a hopeless cause.

Mallon stacked some of her best players at the top of the lineup with hopes of filling the leaderboard with red scores and building momentum. Europe was ahead early four of the opening five matches.

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Europe's Carlota Ciganda, from Spain, sinks a birdie putt on the 15th hole against United States' Mo …

Brittany Lang delivered a point, though she had a tussle with Azahara Munoz until winning on the 17th.

Lewis, in the opening match, didn't take her first lead against Anna Nordqvist until driving the green on the par-4 14th for a birdie. But the closing stretch belonged to Europe, as it had all week. Lewis missed an 8-foot birdie on the 16th for a chance to go 2 up, and the Swede found more magic on the 17th. One day after her hole-in-one, she holed a 20-foot birdie putt to square the match, and Lewis had to make a 7-foot par to get a half-point.

Ciganda, the Spanish rookie who couldn't break 80 in her opening fourballs match, finished with five straight birdies to pull away from Pressel.

Europe's biggest boost came from its youngest star.

Hull, playing as if she had been here many times before, dropped in a 45-foot birdie putt on No. 6 to take her first lead, and she demoralized Creamer from there, 5 and 4. Creamer has not made it beyond the 14th hole in singles losses the last two Solheim Cups.

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Europe's Caroline Hedwall, from Sweden, hits to the 16th green during her singles match against Unit …

Hull only showed her age at the end. She took a marker from her bag and asked Creamer if she could sign a golf ball for a friend back home.

''He's a big fan, so I thought I might as well get one,'' Hull said.

By the end of the week, the Americans had reasons to ask for the autographs.

A Lesson Learned: So Good at the Solheim

 

Renee Trudeau, PGA August 18, 2013

 It wasn't exactly the result I wanted - or expected - but it was still great to watch the Solheim Cup this past weekend. Obviously, I love it when the ladies take center stage in the golf world and I have to offer a sincere "Congratulations" toTeam Europe. As young as they were, they showed the poise and confidence of a team of fearless veterans. I don't know what the U.S. team could have done differently to change the result.

 I know many of my students were watching - and especially my male students. Why? Because as they tell me - the LPGA game is a game they identify with more than the men's game. And it makes total sense. If you watched the PGA Championship two weeks ago, you saw players hitting 300+ yard drivers and 180 yard 7-irons on a course that stretched almost 7200 yards to a par of 70. I don't know how many of you can correlate that to your own golf game - but I promise you it's not many.

But on the women's side, where drives are often 240-270 yards, with 7-irons that go from 140-165 often; you are most likely physically capable of hititng many of the same shots you'll see on tv.

So does that mean you can compete against these ladies? Probably not even on your best day. But you can still learn quite a bit from watching.

 Notice three things that the players at the Solheim Cup did that you can easily emulate and learn from:

1.) Manage the course: Many of the women players can't overpower a course like many of the men do. For them, hitting fairways is a premium and they have to plot their way around each hole - with angles, precision distances and smart layups or approaches. And you'll notice, their scores are as good as the men's. Be smarter about your game. Stay out of trouble, play to your strengths and leave yourself smart shots. You'll easily score better.

 2.) Focus on tempo: If you watched Caroline Hedwall as she went an unprecedented 5-0 at this Solheim Cup, you noticed a player who was able to repeat her swing at will. Thus, with nerves running high during the last approach shot of the final day, Hedwall was able to remain calm and make a swing just like the first of the day, putting it to 5 feet and making the birdie. A repeatable swing is the key to great golf and one of the biggest components of that is a consistent tempo. How often do you focus on your tempo when practicing? Get yourself a metronome and go practice smooth, consistent tempo - you'll shoot better scores.

 3.) Short game: We've all heard it preached - but how many of us really take it to heart? Pars are so critical at the Solheim Cup and bogeys are so devastating - so being able to get up-and-down from any place off the green can mean everything. Team Europe seemed to do it practically every time. Hence, their overwhelming win. Next time you head out to practice, spend at least half of your session on chipping, pitch shots, bunker play and even lob shots and your scores will surely improve.

 The 2010 Senior PGA Championship was held at Colorado Golf Club - the same one that just hosted the Solheim Cup. That year, Tom Lehman, Fred Couples and David Frost went to a playoff where Tom Lehman ultimately prevailed. If you watched those men there - and then played that same course, there's no chance you'd be hitting shots from the same place with the same club as those guys.

But if you watched the Solheim Cup and then played the course, there's a good chance you could apply many things you saw and learned as you watched the ladies.

So this week's lesson is: watch more women's golf and learn the keys to their success. It will pay more dividends than you know for your own game.

Renee Trudeau is a PGA and LPGA Teaching Professional at the historic Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, FL. You can follow her on Twitter (@trudeaugolf), Facebook (Trudeau Golf)or visit her website (www.trudeaugolf.com).