Winning time

U.S. comes through on Sunday to regain Solheim Cup

You might say the Americans singles-handedly defeated the Europeans Sunday to regain the Solheim Cup at Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minn.

Once again, the U.S. trailed, 9-7, going into the final day of competition, and once again, it dominated the singles matches. Since the inception of the event in 1990 the red, white and blue side has made Europe blue on Sundays, carrying a 37-23-4 edge in head-to-head matchups.

Despite being swept in Saturday afternoon's four-ball matches, the Americans didn't sweat the fact that they trailed. In fact, they relished their position.

"We felt that being two points down was a victory for us because the U.S. has been a lot farther back than that in the past going into Sunday's singles," said U.S. captain Patty Sheehan.

Sheehan had the luxury of sending out Juli Inkster first on Sunday and Rosie Jones last. Ultimately, the Europeans lost a great opportunity to retain the Cup, and most of the blame can be assigned to European captain Dale Reid's wild-card picks, who went 0-4-1 on Sunday.

Here are some awards from the weekend:

MVP (U.S.): Wendy Ward was paired against the No. 1 player in the world, Annika Sorenstam, and quietly won the biggest half-point of the week. Ward, a Solheim rookie, actually had a four-footer to win the match. She credited her steely nerves to the fact that she and Sorenstam battled several times in college. "Right now, Wendy Ward is my No. 1, " said Sheehan

MVP (Europe): Carin Koch proved once again she isn't just another pretty face. The Swede was almost perfect with a 4-0-1 record, and that tie came only after the U.S. had already clinched the Cup. Her record is now an impressive 7-0-1 over two competitions. Hopefully, she can translate that performance into some wins on the LPGA Tour.

Captain of the Year: Sheehan perfectly blended veterans and rookies to bring to Cup back to the States. She also wins Best Impersonation of a Gymnast for unleashing a few cartwheels after the victory.

Captain of the Year next year: Giving Sheehan a chance to captain next year's squad in Malmo, Sweden, was a great decision, especially considering the short turnaround. This also means that Nancy Lopez most likely will be the captain in 2005 at Crooked Stick. On the other side, how will Catrin Nilsmark ever get the Euros to rally around her considering the outrageous remarks she made recently on a Swedish Web site?

U.S. Biggest Disappointment (U.S.): Kelli Kuehne, who had played Interlachen several times in the past, came into the event with high expectations. She walked away with an 0-4 record.

Biggest Disappointment (Europe): Sorenstam proved once again that she is human. Sure, she did go 3-1-1 for the week, but not winning her match on Sunday turned the tide.

Rookie of the Year (U.S.): Emilee Klein went 3-1 and proved that heart goes further than talent. Her key win came when she was teamed with Laura Diaz Friday afternoon. With the Americans trailing after the first four matches, Diaz and Klein handily defeated Karine Icher and Sophie Gustafson, 4 and 3, to help the Americans remain tied after the first day.

Rookie of the Year (Europe): Paula Marti only won one point, but her putting performance in the first match of the event is proof that she is going to be a star on the LPGA Tour. The former Florida Gator carried Laura Davies to a 2-up victory over Diaz and Inkster.

Biggest Choke: Michele Redman was rolling Sunday, 5 up with five to play, but only came away with a halve. Redman did almost the same thing two years ago against Koch, losing a 3-up lead after 10 holes. In Redman's defense, Suzann Pettersen did birdie three of the final five holes. But Redman's career may never be the same after this collapse.

Biggest Blunder: Ecstatic and emotionally overwhelmed by her comeback against Redman, Pettersen inadvertently blurted out an expletive while being interviewed live on NBC. The four-letter soundbite from a captain's selection got Reid off the hook in my eyes for not picking Catriona Matthew and Janice Moodie.

Tom Hanson, a regular contributor to Sports Illustrated's Golf Plus section, is a longtime caddie on the LPGA Tour. Click here to send him a question or comment.

 

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