Team Europe is making a charge at the Solheim Cup in the Netherlands, and thanks to Esther Henseleit, everything is still wide open before the big final against the USA. True, in the Fourballs on Saturday afternoon, the team lost three matches, letting a potential lead slip away, but an 8-8 score means: Everything is still on a knife's edge.
Henseleit, the Olympic silver medalist from Paris, was stellar in Saturday's Foursomes and secured a crucial point alongside Ireland's Leona Maguire. The duo had already triumphed together on Friday. Against Jennifer Kupcho and Rose Zhang, Henseleit played a perfect approach shot for Maguire on the 18th hole – and Maguire ice-coldly converted the putt for the win. "Honestly, I just tried to hit the ball cleanly and get it forward. I had a bit of luck," Henseleit calmly stated after the thrilling finish.
The 27-year-old – as on Friday – only played in the Foursomes, the format where two teammates alternate hitting the same ball. Three of the four matches went to Europe, and in the process, the impressive winning streak of world number one Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz was broken; they had previously been simply unbeatable five times.
But in the Fourballs, where each player plays her own ball, Europe let their seemingly secure 7-5 lead slip away. Only the two Swedes, Linn Grant and Maja Stark, were able to secure a point.
Henseleit made her Solheim Cup debut two years ago, when she and her eleven teammates suffered a bitter 12.5-15.5 defeat in the USA. This means a tie would be enough for the US team to successfully defend the title. Europe's overall record is also not impressive: seven wins and one tie are contrasted by eleven crushing defeats. Sunday brings the big finale: Twelve singles matches are on the schedule – now everything will be decided!
This Solheim Cup, the female counterpart to the legendary Ryder Cup, is taking place for the 20th time. The setting for the drama: The Bernardus Golf Club in the Dutch province of North Brabant.
