Remember Europe’s sneaky Solheim Cup tactic for your next money match

One of my absolute favorite things about team competitions is the gamesmanship. The subtle ways you see players working to put their opponents off in ways you don’t see during other weeks — and it was on full-display at the 2019 Solheim Cup.

One of my favorite moments came during Nelly Korda and Caroline Hedwell‘s Sunday singles match. Facing about a 30-foot putt to halve the hole, Korda hit a good putt that she left hanging just on the edge. The ball stopped, and almost instantly Hedwell gave Korda the putt by walking over, picking up the ball, and tossing it back to Korda.

This is the fastest given putt I've ever seen.

Ball comes to rest on the lip. A split second later, it's back in Nelly Korda's hand. Well played Caroline Hedwall 😂 pic.twitter.com/zZqYR969W2

— LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) September 15, 2019

It’s a smart move, and one worth taking note of for golfers at home who may be facing a big money match this weekend. Don’t just give your partner the putt in this situation; pick up their ball and toss it back to them — thus eliminating any possibility of their ball dropping into the hole at the last moment.

Sure, it’s unclear under the rules of golf if that is technically allowed (which allow 10 seconds for a ball on the lip to drop into the hole), but let’s chalk it off as a grey area and applaud the A+ gamesmanship here from the European Team.