America will take a three point lead into the singles at the PING Junior Solheim Cup at St Leon-Rot.
The visitors started the final day with a 5-4 advantage after bad weather disrupted play the previous afternoon and then duly returned the following morning to win the three remaining foursomes left on the course to extend their lead to 7 ½ – 4 ½.
It means the Americans require just five points in the 12 singles to win the PING Junior Solheim Cup for the first time on European soil. As holders they would defend the trophy should the home side battle back to secure a 12-12 tie.
The second day started brightly for the Americans when Hannah O’Sullivan and Angel Yin extended their team’s lead to 6-4 after beating Germany’s Leonie Harm and Denmark’s Puk Lyng Thomsen 2 &1. The Europeans had reduced their deficit to just one hole when they won the 15th the previous evening but on their return the next morning they lost the 16th and then could do no better than match an American on the 17th.
The next match also went to the Americans when Andrea Lee and Sierra Brooks beat Spain’s Ana Pelaez and France’s Agathe Laisne by the same margin. The European pair had also won the last hole before bad light stopped play the previous evening but on their return their fightback came to an end when could do no better than to match the American pair’s birdie on the 16th and par on the 17th.
Spanish pair Maria Parra and Marta Perez Sanmartin provided what could be a precious half point for the European cause when a par on the 18th was enough to secure a halve in the final match against Kristen Gillman and Kaitlyn Papp.
The draw for the singles was announced straight after the foursomes were completed and the job of leading the Europeans out was handed to Ireland’s Olivia Mehaffey who teamed up with Austria’s Emma Spitz to win both their fourball and foursomes matches. She will face Sierra Brooks, a four-time Rolex Junior All-American from Sorrento, Florida.
The other matches (in order) feature: Emma Spitz v Angel Yin, Mathilda Cappeliez v Hannah O’Sullivan, Albane Valenzuela v Andrea Lee, Maria Parra v Nelly Korda, Marta Perez Sanmartin v Megan Khang, Ana Pelaez v Hailee Cooper, Agathe Laisne v Kaitlyn Papp, Puk Lyng Thomsen v Haley Moore, Leonie Harm v Mika Liu, Sandra Nordaas v Mariel Galdiano and Elin Esborn v Kristen Gillman.
