Europe won Saturday’s final two points to keep alive their hopes of lifting a record fourth successive Solheim Cup on a day when American caddies ripped off their shirts to celebrate winning a hole.
England’s Charley Hull and Georgia Hall shredded nerves but claimed victory on the 18th hole, while Carlota Ciganda and Emily Pedersen were also triumphant as Europe ended the day 10-6 down.
It represented a solid return for the Europeans, who were completely outplayed on Friday when they trailed 6-2 but matched the Americans in both sessions on Saturday.
However, they will need to match the Solheim Cup record of coming from four points down in Sunday’s 12 singles to retain the trophy.
“We have a chance, the miracle of Medinah is coming,” said Ciganda, referring to the European’s 2012 Ryder Cup victory when they too overturned a four-point deficit in the US.
As holders, Europe require eight points from the 12 available on Sunday to keep the cup, while the US need to reach 14½ points to win the trophy for the first time since 2017.
‘We’ve given ourselves a chance’
And European captain Suzann Pettersen was buoyant, stating: “We’ve seen miracles before.
“Medinah. Germany 2015. We’ve given ourselves a chance. As long as there’s hope, these girls will fight.
“10-6? It’s absolutely doable. We just have to see if we can recharge, wake up fresh and on any given day these girls can take each other down.
“It will be a miracle, but we’ve seen it before.”
Hull will lead out the Europeans in the singles, and come up against world number one Nelly Korda, who has won all three matches she has played.
Emily Pedersen, who like Hull has two points from four matches, faces Megan Khang, who won both her fourball matches.
On her decision to load the top of her singles with her best players, Pettersen added: “We have to go by form because if we don’t get enough points in the first six, seven matches, it’s game over anyway.”
The US mantra all week has been “unfinished business”, referring to the run of two defeats and last year’s 14-14 tie in Spain that saw Europe retain the trophy.
And while captain Stacy Lewis said that “the Europeans played a lot better”, she was “really, really happy with the day, and to keep the same lead”.
Her hope for Sunday is that the team “get off to a great start, get the energy early, use the crowd, and finish it off as quick as we can.”
And when asked how close the US were to victory, she replied: “We’re almost done.”
‘We celebrated the way we wanted to’
Europe can take inspriation from the US team coming from 10-6 down in Germany in 2015 to emerge victorious after a dominant 8½-3½ performance in the singles.
But this American juggenaut will take some stopping in front of expectant fans at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia.
While Friday morning felt largely subdued after transportation issues meant thousands of spectators missed much of the opening foursomes session, since then, this exclusive course 40 miles west of Washington DC has been a riot of colour and noise.
And no celebratory roar has been louder than the one for Alison Lee’s eagle two on the second in Saturday’s fourballs.
But in extraordinary scenes, the caddies of Lee and Megan Khang removed their tops in a pre-planned move after Lee holed an 86-yard wedge from the fairway.
According to American television, Khang’s caddie, Jack Fulghum, had suggested on the tee that if any player holed out the caddies would pay them $500. Lee, whose caddie is Taylor ‘Shota’ Takada, responded by saying the caddies had to take off their shirts.
And lo, it came to pass.
“It was completely surreal but we celebrated just the way we wanted to,” said Lee.
Their actions served to further whip-up already frenzied American fans, revelling in a performance that looks set to see them win the trophy for the first time since 2017.
A bemused Madelene Sagstrom looked on in bewilderment as she tried to prepare to hit her shot to the green.
Sagstrom, who along with fellow Swede Anna Nordqvist, were Europe’s solitary fourball winners on Friday, never recovered and were three down at the turn and lost 4&3.
That made the score 10-4 because it came moments after Andrea Lee and Rose Zhang completed a dominant 6&4 victory over Linn Grant and Celine Boutier.
Zhang, the former world amateur number one, holed a bunker shot on the 13th to put the US five ahead with five to play and they closed out the win at the following hole.
But, in scenes reminiscent of Medinah, Europe won the final two points.
Ciganda, who last year secured the point in her Spanish homeland to earn a 14-14 tie and keep the trophy in European hands, teamed up with Pedersen for a 2&1 win over Ally Ewing and the retiring Lexi Thompson.
And Hull and Hall kept their nerve down the last to secure a vital sixth point, seeing off Allisen Corpuz and world number two Lilia Vu.