After a closely fought final day of singles matches at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia, the United States won the Solheim Cup for the first time in seven years.
The match remained close until Lilia Vu made a stunning birdie on the 18th hole to reach 14½ points and secure the half-point the United States needed to win the Solheim Cup.
The final score was 15½ to 12½, giving the United States their first championship since 2017.
At the start of the day, the home team was leading by four points, 10-6, against Europe, but it was the winners’ side who won the singles sessions.
Europe won 6½ points on the final day, while the US team managed just 5½ points in 12 singles matches, but it was still enough to secure the victory.
Winning captain Stacey Lewis said: “It’s pretty incredible. It’s stressful to watch. It’s awful to watch. But I’m really proud of the players. It’s amazing how these things can be decided by half a point here and there. Luckily we were on the right side this time.”
“It really could have gone either way. It’s just crazy how it all unfolded in the end. I was just hoping and praying that it would go our way.”
“I’m very proud of the team. Lilia’s finish was incredible. It’s exactly what you expect from one of the best players in the world.”
Europe captain Suzann Pettersen said: “So, we gave them a hard time. I don’t think anybody thought we’d be here at 2:30 and still have a chance. It’s hard to believe that after such a poor start we let them get ahead and actually had a chance. But it was fun today. Sundays are always exciting.”
“We had the potential and thought we could get it done a few times. In the end it came down to a couple of games. Obviously it’s nice for Stacey to win at home but we’re going to come back with a very hungry mentality.”
“I had a lot of fun with these kids. It was really fun. Win or lose, yeah, winning is fun and losing is a little tough, but at the end of the day, we had a lot of little victories within our team this week. We had a lot of fun, a lot of laughs and some moments that I’ll cherish forever. It’s been an amazing journey. Solheims is awesome.”
