Stacy Lewis Finds Her Groove With Gerina Piller As Partner
— -- There is nothing neat about the schedule of this year's Solheim Cup, as darkness Saturday kept the afternoon session from being completed for the second straight day.
When play was halted, Europe had an 8-5 lead with three matches yet to be completed. The United States has 1-up advantages in two, and Europe is 1-up in the other.
If the Americans are able to hold on for victories in those two matches and trim Europe's lead to two points going into singles, it would be a margin they have overcome twice (1996, 2002) to win the Cup.
Europe hasn't trailed going into singles play since 1998 at Muirfield Village, when the United States rolled to a five-point lead after the partner sessions and staved off an early Sunday rally to win 16-12. Thanks in part to a resurgence by its best golfer, though, the Americans had cause for some optimism Saturday night.
1. Stacy Lewis finally finds a Solheim Cup groove. There were moments Saturday when you could almost see Stacy Lewis shed the frustration of Solheim Cup frustration and a winless season. America's top-ranked player, whose career record in the biennial competition dropped to 2-6-1 with a foursomes defeat Friday morning, had a different partner and some vastly improved mojo.
Lewis teamed with Gerina Piller in the morning for a 5-and-4 foursomes victory over Caroline Hedwall and Anna Nordqvist, handing Hedwall her first career Solheim Cup loss. A 20-footer for birdie on the 10th hole that put the Americans 3 up and in control was a prime example of Lewis' reversal of form.
American captain Juli Inkster, who sat Lewis on Friday afternoon, put Lewis and Piller back out in the afternoon against Hedwall and Caroline Masson. Lewis and Piller continued to play well. Lewis stiffed her approach at No. 6 to put the Americans 2 up, sank a 20-footer on No. 8 and made a crucial 15-footer for birdie on the par-5 16th to halve the hole and keep a 1-up lead before the match was halted because of darkness.
If Lewis-Piller can hang on for a fourball victory when their match is resumed Sunday morning, it will complete a big turnaround for America's best and give Lewis and her teammates momentum going into singles play.
2. A game plan is great to have, but sometimes developments warrant a change. It remains to be seen how this Solheim Cup is going to affect American Lexi Thompson, but unless something bad happens in singles, she ought to come out of it with a lot of confidence.
Coming back with partner Cristie Kerr early Saturday morning to finish their weather-delayed fourball match -- a match against Melissa Reid and Carlota Ciganda that was all square with one hole to play -- Thompson rose to the occasion by sinking a 12-footer for birdie after Reid sank a birdie from slightly farther away.
It was logical that Thompson would have been sent back out to play in the Saturday morning foursomes, but Inkster sat Thompson despite her good play and momentum. Angela Stanford was put in the Saturday morning lineup, teaming with Brittany Lincicome, and she lost her ninth straight Solheim Cup match.
Thompson was back in good form with Kerr on Saturday afternoon, teaming with her for a fourball victory, which amplified her absence in the morning. Of the 24 players, only Europe's Charley Hull will play five matches.
Inkster went into the matches not planning to play any of her golfers in every match. For a young, fit golfer such as Thompson, though, sitting her out given the situation was difficult to understand. It's a "pitch count" world, but the U.S. might have been better served with Thompson playing every session given the circumstances.
3. Drivable par 4s have become a bit of a cliché, but they provide a wonderful element in team events. On multiple occasions during the Ryder Cup when it was played at The Belfry, the short 10th hole, a risk-reward par 4 of about 300 yards, proved to be an entertaining and pivotal hole.
The par-4 13th at St. Leon-Rot Golf Club -- a course also designed by Belfry architect Dave Thomas -- has been the same kind of stage this week and will be a hole to watch during Sunday's singles. The hole, with the flagstick set tight against a water hazard on the left, played about 250 yards Saturday.
There were an amazing few minutes during the fourballs match Saturday between Europe's Caroline Masson-Caroline Hedwall and Stacy Lewis-Gerina Piller. Masson hit her tee shot within 12 feet of the cup. Hedwall did even better, coming up about 10 feet away. Piller then hit it inside both the Europeans, to 9 feet.
None converted the eagle putts, but to see the Europeans' aggressively good shots and Piller answer it with a fantastic shot of her own, was match play at its best.
