Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist holed-in-one to clinch a morning point in style as Europe tightened their grip on the Solheim Cup and the US’ tempers frayed during a controversial second day in Parker, Colorado, on Saturday.
Europe opened up a 10.5-5.5 lead over the US at the close, dominating the fourballs on an afternoon marred by an astonishing tiff over ball placements between the US pairing of Morgan Pressel and Cristie Kerr and their opponents, Karine Icher and Beatriz Recari.
Relations, already strained in the morning when organizers admitted to a mistaken ruling in Europe’s favor during Friday’s play, became acrimonious as Pressel and Kerr quarreled with Icher and Recari on the 16th hole.
Photo: AFP
Officials needed to step in to place Recari and Kerr’s balls after both shot into a water hazard and could not agree on each other’s ball placement.
Icher and Recari shrugged off the furore to help Europe sweep the fourballs 4-0 and open a five-point lead heading into yesterday’s singles.
Trailing 5-3 after the opening day, the US had pulled within a point after winning the morning foursomes 2.5 to 1.5, but Nordqvist, playing with Caroline Hedwall, fired up the Europeans by acing the 187-yard par-three 17th at Colorado Golf Club.
Photo: AFP
That sealed the clash with Pressel and Jessica Korda 2&1.
Stacy Lewis and Paula Creamer prevailed one-up over Azahara Munoz and Icher, while Michelle Wie and Brittany Lang won 2&1 over Suzann Pettersen and Beatriz Recari to give the US early momentum in the foursomes.
Catriona Matthew and Caroline Masson salvaged a half for Europe in the morning foursomes against Britanny Lincicome and Lizette Salas, before Europe tore through the afternoon.
Jodi Ewart-Shadoff and Charley Hull won two-up over Creamer and Thompson, and Munoz and Ciganda prevailed one-up against Gerina Piller and Angela Stanford.
Hedwall and Masson won 2&1 over Wie and Korda, before Recari and Icher completed the sweep with a one-up win over and Kerr and Pressel following their 16th hole squabble.
Champagne corks often pop and loud, boisterous cheers are usually heard around Constitution Dock when the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race line honors winner finishes in the Tasmanian state capital. There were no such celebrations this year when the defending champions on board LawConnect won the race in the early hours of yesterday morning, as it came about 24 hours after two sailors died on separate boats in sail boom accidents two hours apart on a storm-ravaged first night of the race. LawConnect, a 100-foot super maxi skippered by Australian tech millionaire Christian Beck, sailed up the River Derwent at just after 2:30am.
‘BOWLINE’ AND ‘ARCTOS’: Roy Quaden was hit on the head by a boom, while Nick Smith was struck by the main sheet and thrown across the boat amid rough seas Two sailors have been killed in separate incidents in the treacherous Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, officials said yesterday, as a string of yachts retired in powerful winds and high seas. One of the crew members, 55-year-old Roy Quaden on Flying Fish Arctos, was hit on the head by a boom as the fleet raced down the New South Wales coast, race organizers said. The other man, 65-year-old Nick Smith, was struck by the main sheet aboard Bowline and thrown across the boat, said David Jacobs, vice commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. “Unfortunately, he hit his head on the winch, and
Liverpool on Thursday powered seven points clear at the top of the Premier League as the title favorites survived a scare in their 3-1 win against Leicester City, while Bruno Fernandes was sent off in Manchester United’s dismal 2-0 defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Erling Haaland missed a penalty as crisis-torn Manchester City failed to end their dismal run with a 1-1 draw against Everton, but it was United’s travails and Liverpool’s remarkable run that took center-stage. Arne Slot’s side were shocked by Jordan Ayew’s early strike at Anfield, but the leaders recovered their composure to equalize just before the interval through Cody
HAT-TRICK PREP: World No. 1 Sabalenka clinched her first win of the season, as she aims to become the first woman in 20 years to win three Australian Opens in succession Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Taylor Fritz yesterday all clocked impressive wins as tennis powerhouses Italy and the US surged into the quarter-finals of the mixed-team United Cup. World No. 3 Gauff swept past Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-2 to avenge a loss at the Paris Olympics, while Fritz took care of Borna Coric 6-3, 6-2 in searing Perth heat. That was enough to put the Americans — last year’s winners — into a last-eight clash with China today, while Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan today are to meet defending champions Germany, led by Alexander Zverev, in the other Perth quarter-final. In Sydney, the in-form
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