Europe looking for minor miracle as USA maintain Solheim Cup advantage | Solheim Cup

On a Saturday night at Medina in 2012, Europe's men's golfers came into their own, going from a seemingly insurmountable 10-4 deficit to 10-6 at the end of the match. We all know what happened after that: Europe turned the tide against the United States in a dramatic Sunday match.

Read Carlota Ciganda, Emily Pedersen, Charlie Hull and Georgia Hall instead of Sergio Garcia, Luke Donald, Ian Poulter and Rory McIlroy. Victories by two European four-ball pairs give Virginia a glimmer of hope for its Solheim Cup defence. The US needs 4.5 points in singles to win. The ghost of Medinah means Stacy Lewis and the local team can't celebrate just yet.

The 19th Solheim Cup has been getting ugly for a long time. It was ugly for the European teams and, in a ridiculous episode on Saturday afternoon, it was ugly for any television audience.

Allison Lee had 86 yards to go for her approach shot on the second hole. She and Megan Kang were playing against Anna Nordqvist and Madeleine Sagstrom of Europe. Lee's wedge shot spun into the hole for eagle-2, which naturally elicited wild celebrations. The two American caddies, clearly wanting the win for themselves, ripped off their shirts and slammed their stomachs in the middle of the fairway. If a stare can kill, Sagstrom, who had yet to play, seemed understandably infuriated. There's plenty to enjoy about the Solheim Cup without the attention-seeking vulgarity of the moment. What's next? Sticking your butt out on the 18th green?

The problem for Europe was that they had little response to the Americans' fearless play until Hull and others launched a late onslaught. Recent Solheim Cup star Leona Maguire didn't hit a ball in anger on Saturday. The Irish golfer returns with only one singles match under her belt, an unusual situation given her performance so far in the tournament.

Kang's 20-foot putt on the 11th hole looked sure to stay on the ground until it waited a few seconds before dropping into the cup. There were countless breaks like this for the hosts. Andrea Li's bunker shot on the 13th hole was heading for North Carolina, but it hit the flagstick and bounced back into the cup. Andrea Li and Rose Chan beat Lynn Grant and Celine Boutier 6&4. Alison Li and Kang seemed destined to win from that chaotic moment on the second hole. “That was one of the coolest moments of my life,” Li said. “We celebrated exactly the way we wanted to.” Oh, God. Nordqvist and Sagstrom had never led in the match. The handshake took place on the 15th green, and the U.S. reached the 10 points they could not add to. A brilliant approach from Pedersen on the 17th hole saw the Dane and Ciganda pair take a 2&1 victory over Allie Ewing and Lexi Thompson. The final standout of the day was from Hull and Hall, who withstood a stiff challenge from Alisen Corpas and Lilia Vu on the 18th hole to win a point.

A 2-2 draw in the morning foursomes represented Europe's progress after two 3-1 losses on Friday. Nelly Korda, rested by Lewis for the four-ball, combined with Copes to beat Pedersen and Ciganda, 1 up. Europe fought back with Esther Henseleit and Hull beating Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho by the same score. The bottom two matches were easier for the winners. Thompson and Lauren Coughlin added another point for the USA, beating Maya Stark and Hall, 4&3. Europe's 4&3 success came from Nordqvist and Boutier, who beat Lilia Vu and Sara Schmeltzer. With the USA holding an 8-4 advantage at lunch, it was a bit odd to see Europe's captain Suzann Pettersen dance the first tea dance as the teams returned to the course.

Day two kicked off with an apology from LPGA Tour chief Molly Marcoux-Samantha after serious shuttle bus problems caused thousands of fans to miss the opening tee shot on Friday, with some forced to queue for up to three hours to be transported to the Solheim venue.

“There was a miscalculation and a poor planning for the day,” she said. “All you can do in life is fix it, get better and make sure it never happens again.”