Europe stay in contention in Solheim Cup

Two great escapes and a moment of huge relief today kept alive Europe’s hopes of winning back the Solheim Cup in Sweden.

After a 130-minute delay because of 35mph gusts it looked for all the world as though America were going to stretch their one-point overnight lead in the second series of foursomes at Halmstad.

But in the end the session was shared 2-2, leaving the overall score 6 1/2 to 5 1/2 to the holders.

The first escape was by Swede Maria Hjorth and France’s Gwladys Nocera against Sherri Steinhauer and Laura Diaz.

Two ahead early on the home pair were two down with three to play, but then Diaz went into the water on the short 16th and at the 395-yard last the Americans three-putted, Steinhauer missing from six feet, and Hjorth made a five-footer for a half after hitting into the greenside bunker.

By then Dane Iben Tinning and German Bettina Hauert had lost four and two to Pat Hurst and Angela Stanford – that after coming back from three down to one up at the turn – but there was plenty of drama still to come.

Swede Sophie Gustafson and Norway’s Suzann Petersen, surprisingly omitted from the first day fourballs, were ahead on four separate occasions against Juli Inkster and Paula Creamer, only to find themselves one down with one to play.

However, Petersen, the European team’s only current major champion, hit a brilliant approach to the last from the left-hand rough.

It almost went in for an eagle two, but after their opponents had parred the hole Gustafson stepped up and made the five-foot birdie putt.

That left the stage to Annika Sorenstam and Scot Catriona Matthew, who for much of the session looked likeliest to finish first.

They were five up with six to play against reigning US women’s Open champion Cristie Kerr and Nicole Castrale, who had played the first 12 holes in eight over par.

But, quite remarkably, the Americans birdied four of the next five holes to be only one down and Castrale had a 10-foot chance to grab a half on the last.

Sadly for her and her team-mates she missed it and Matthew holed from three feet for the win that brought the gap between the two sides back to one point.

That got Sorenstam, the event’s leading scorer, back to winning ways after she managed only half a point on the opening day.

And it also meant that in six games to come down the 18th so far the Americans had not won any of them.

Because of the hold-up to clear debris from the course and make sure everything was safe for the spectators the afternoon fourballs were certain to spill into Sunday’s final day.

There was an inevitable further hold-up once Castrale and Kerr began their amazing comeback. Castrale had been named in the first of the fourballs at 3.45pm.

With games taking almost five hours she was still playing foursomes when that time came and went and a switch was made so that Castrale and Natalie Gulbis teed off third rather than first.

The Americans need 14 points to retain the cup, which since it began in 1990 has only once been won by the away team, at St Pierre in Wales in 1996.

Under the rules of the competition Europe captain Helen Alfredsson had to introduce Swedish rookie Linda Wessberg, one of her three wild card picks, for the afternoon.

Unhappy with her form in practice Wessberg had been left out of the first three sessions, but everybody has to play at least once before the singles. She was paired with compatriot Hjorth.