Roundup: Europe Trounces U.S. In Solheim Cup

Doug Ferguson's game story on Europe's historic win over the U.S. at Colorado Golf Club notes Europe's 6-rookie squad and Caroline Hedwall's amazing 5-0 record in leading her team to an 18-10 rout.

Phil Parkin's post-match interview with an eloquent, modest Hedwall.

Steve DiMeglio captures the losing moment and the essence of what separated the two squads.

Following a 55-minute weather delay, Sweden's Caroline Hedwall, 24, playing in just her second Solheim, defeated Michelle Wie with a last-hole birdie from 5 feet to give the Europeans the 14 points they needed to keep possession of the Cup. Hedwall become the first player in Solheim history to go 5-0.

The USA, on the other hand, could never get a handle on the undulated, firm and slick greens throughout the tournament and now has lost their grip on the Solheim Cup.

Jay Coffin on the other star from this Solheim Cup, 17-year-old Charley Hull who pummeled Paula Creamer, then asked for her autograph.

John Strege wonders where this leaves the state of American golf.

A Solheim Cup is not entirely indicative of the strength of any specific group of players, but the signs aren't good for the U.S. For the first time, Europe has won consecutive Solheim Cups, and its victory at the Colorado Golf Club was its first in America. Caroline Hedwall, only 24 herself, a star heretofore still in the assembly stage, went 5-0 in these matches, securing the cup for Europe with an 18th-hole birdie to beat Michelle Wie.

Left unsaid in all of this is how yet another American team (male or female) struggled in formats other than singles, and really never quite grasped how to deal with the sensational firm-fast golf presented by Colorado Golf Club.

That may have been part of Dottie Pepper's thinking in issuing this ominous statement about the depth of American golf, as reported by Beth Ann Baldry in her roundup of the last day.

And now, as Dottie Pepper sat beside the 18th green waiting for the final match to come in, the Europeans an hour deep into their celebration, one of the fiercest competitors the game has ever seen stated an obvious, yet painful fact about American golf:

“The world has caught up and passed (us),” Pepper said.

Baldry also handed out grades. The Americans will be going to summer school.

And mopping up a Saturday controversy when Michelle Wie left a green early in celebration, Coffin has her apology Tweets.

Golf Central's highlight package.

The jovial European team interview.



The not-so-jovial USA post match interview, helmed by the classy Meg Mallon.

And just as a viewer, this was yet another win for architecture. While most of these team matches would be interesting if played on a polo field, Colorado Golf Club's brilliant agronomic presentation highlighted Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw's architecture. What a joy it was to watch the ball spending so much time on the ground, doing wonderful things when the players controlled their shots.

Throw in some super hole locations and fresh camera angles from Golf Channel that allowed us to better understand the scale and strategy of the holes, and we once again saw why the powers insisted on team match play for the 2016 Olympics why team events are still better than 99% of the stroke play events.

Kudos to all involved for an entertaining presentation of our sport.