Europe remain in contention for Solheim success

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

But there is still an awful lot of golf to be played before the match at Halmstad is decided.

Because of a 130-minute delay at the start caused by 35mph gusts, then the length of time it took to complete the foursomes, every one of the second series of fourballs was still on the course and no further than the 11th hole when darkness came.

Holders America are still clinging to the one-point lead – it is now 6 1/2 to 5 1/2 – they held overnight, but 16 points remain up for grabs.

Play will resume at 7.35am Sunday with Europe up in three, level in one, but nothing more than one hole in any of them and everything to play for before the 12 concluding singles.

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.

Commentating on the match for the Golf Channel former United States star Dottie Pepper was apparently heard to say “choking freaking dogs”, an opinion bound to become a talking point in the American team room.

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 Pettersen, 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, Pettersen, 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, put off earlier by the sound of a horn on a buggy as she played a shot, 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 always going to spill into the final day.

But 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 2.45pm, but with games taking almost five hours she was still playing foursomes when that time came and went.

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 and they were one up with seven to go against Creamer and Brittany Lincicome.

Laura Davies and Becky Brewerton held the same advantage over Castrale and Natalie Gulbis after 10 and Sorenstam and Pettersen were one up on Kerr and Morgan Pressel after the ninth green where Pettersen holed from 25 feet and 19-year-old Pressel followed her in from nine.

All square are Trish Johnson and Tinning against Inkster and Stacy Prammanasudh after 10.