 |
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – Day One of the PING Junior Solheim Cup concluded in a 6-6 tie. Both Team USA and Team Europe put six points on the scoreboard, and the Cup will be determined in Singles play Wednesday. The U.S. squad won the Morning Four-Ball matches with 3.5 points over Team Europe’s 2.5 points. The sides repaired for the Afternoon Foursomes matches, which resulted in three European team wins, two U.S. victories and one halved match.
Three Morning Four-Ball matches were halved, two went to Team USA and one favored the European squad.
The PING Junior Solheim Cup is a biennial, trans-Atlantic team match play competition featuring the 12 best female junior golfers (ages 12-18) from Europe and the United States. Matches include four-ball, foursomes and singles. The 2013 event is hosting the seventh PING Junior Solheim Cup, in which Team USA leads the all-time series, 3-2-1.
Nicole Morales of South Salem, N.Y., and Amy Lee of Brea, Calif., defeated Team Europe’s Georgia Hall of Bournemouth, England, and Amber Ratcliffe of Cromer, England, 4 and 3. The U.S. pair carded five birdies during their round, including the match-ending birdie on No. 15.
Team Europe saw success in the morning from the pairing of Jessica Vasilic of Partille, Sweden, and Linnea Ström of Göteborg, Sweden. The twosome trailed throughout the front nine, but a timely birdie on No. 11 put them 1-up, a lead they held through No. 17. The match ended all square after a Team USA birdie on No. 18.
The European crew pocketed wins on three out of six afternoon Foursome matches. They also halved a match, bringing the overall score to a 6-6 tie. Two of the European wins were confirmed on the final few holes.
Europe’s Bronte Law of Stockport, England, and Hall defeated America’s Samantha Wagner of Windermere, Fla., and Casie Cathrea of Livermore, Calif., 1-up. Team Europe was 1-up for majority of the round, only letting the lead slip to all square on Nos. 12-14. The Europeans regained the 1-up lead when Cathrea missed a par-putt on No. 15 and closed out the match 2-up by making par on No. 18 to the U.S. Team’s bogey.
Alexandra Kaui of Las Vegas, and Krystal Quihuis of Tucson, Ariz., remained partners all day and successfully defended their undefeated AJGA Invitational 2-0-2 record by halving both their matches. The pair played and won both matches for the West Team at the 2013 Wyndham Cup.
Team Europe’s Karolin Lampert of Sandhausen, Germany, won both of her matches Tuesday 1-up. She partnered with Shannon Aubert of Annecy, France, for the Four-Ball match. Lampert sunk a crucial birdie-putt on No. 17 to go 1-up. She and Aubert parred No. 18 to seal the win against Casey Danielson of Osceola, Wis., and Alison Lee of Valencia, Calif.
“We really had some tight matches,” Lampert said. “There was really good golf played out there by everyone. It could have gone either way.”
Lampert and Pedersen teamed up for the Afternoon Foursomes against Team USA’s Morales and Ashlan Ramsey of Milledgeville, Ga. The European pair was 1-up through No. 8. A bogey on No. 9 coupled with Team USA’s par brought the match to all square. Pedersen made a clutch birdie-putt on No. 14 to go 1-up and Europe maintained the lead through the end.
“We were really good at supporting each other,” Pedersen said. “When one of us hit a bad shot, the other made a good shot. We are looking forward to a good day tomorrow.”
Team USA’s Bethany Wu of Diamond Bar, Calif., was also undefeated on the day. She and Andrea Lee of Hermosa Beach, Calif., won, 2 and 1 in the Morning Four-Ball against Anyssia Herbaut of Saint-Raphael, France, and Anne van Dam of Arnhem, Netherlands. Wu and Lee jumped on the lead early and held it throughout the entire match, never dropping below 1-up.
“We got off to a good start and just tried to keep it going,” Wu said. “We got lucky on some putts but played really well overall.”
The pair played again in the afternoon Foursome match against Harang Lee of Cantabria, Spain, and Ratcliffe. Mirroring their morning match, the USA duo grabbed the lead from the start and never relinquished it; they kept a 4-up lead through No. 14. Team Europe cut the advantage to 3-up with a birdie on No. 15 and the match finished in the U.S. team’s favor, 3 and 2.
Both teams look forward to singles matches Wednesday, which will decide the 2013 PING Junior Solheim Cup.
“We all support each other and want to do the best that we can,” Morales said. “Win, lose, tie, whatever it is we will still support each other.”
Day One – Morning Four-Ball Matches: USA 3.5, Europe 2.5
Shannon Aubert, Annecy, France (2014) & Karolin Lampert, Sandhausen, Germany (2014) EUROPE def. Alison Lee, Valencia, Calif. (2013) & Casey Danielson, Osceola, Wis. (2013) USA, 1-up
Samantha Wagner, Windermere, Fla. (2015) & Casie Cathrea, Livermore, Calif. (2013) USA vs. Linnea Ström, Göteborg, Sweden (2015) & Jessica Vasilic, Partille, Sweden (2013) EUROPE, halved
Bethany Wu, Diamond Bar, Calif. (2015) & Andrea Lee, Hermosa Beach, Calif. USA (2016) def. Anyssia Herbaut, Saint-Raphael, France (2013) & Anne van Dam, Arnhem, Netherlands (2015) EUROPE, 2 & 1
Krystal Quihuis, Tucson, Ariz. (2014) & Alexandra Kaui, Las Vegas, Nev. (2013) USA vs. Virginia Elena Carta, Udine, Italy (2015) & Harang Lee, Cantabria, Spain (2013) EUROPE, halved
Amy Lee, Brea, Calif. (2015) & Nicole Morales, South Salem, N.Y. (2014) USA def. Georgia Hall, Bournemouth, England (2013) & Amber Ratcliffe, Cromer, England (2013) EUROPE, 4 & 3
Ashlan Ramsey, Milledgeville, Ga. (2013) & Karen Chung, Livingston, N.J. (2013) USA vs. Bronte Law, Stockport, England (2013) & Emily Pedersen, Smörum, Denmark (2016) EUROPE, halved
Day One – Foursomes Matches: USA 4.5, Europe 1.5
Jessica Vasilic, Partille, Sweden (2013) & Anne van Dam, Arnhem, Netherlands (2015) EUROPE def.Alison Lee, Valencia, Calif. (2013) & Amy Lee, Brea, Calif. (2015) USA, 2 & 1
Bethany Wu, Diamond Bar, Calif. (2015) & Andrea Lee, Hermosa Beach, Calif. (2016) USA def. Amber Ratcliffe, Cromer, England (2013) & Harang Lee, Cantabria, Spain (2013) EUROPE, 3 & 2
Karen Chung, Livingston, N.J. (2013) & Casey Danielson, Osceola, Wis. (2013) USA def. Anyssia Herbaut, Saint-Raphael, France (2013) & Shannon Aubert, Annecy, France (2014) EUROPE, 4 & 3
Alexandra Kaui, Las Vegas, Nev. (2013) & Krystal Quihuis, Tucson, Ariz. (2014) USA vs. Linnea Ström, Göteborg, Sweden (2015) & Virginia Elena Carta, Udine, Italy (2015) EUROPE, halved
Emily Pedersen, Smörum, Denmark (2016) & Karolin Lampert, Sandhausen, Germany (2014) EUROPE def. Nicole Morales, South Salem, N.Y. (2014) & Ashlan Ramsey, Milledgeville, Ga. (2013) USA, 1-up
Georgia Hall, Bournemouth, England (2013) & Bronte Law, Stockport, England (2013) EUROPE def. Casie Cathrea, Livermore, Calif. (2013) & Samantha Wagner, Windermere, Fla. (2015) USA, 2-up
