2021 Solheim Cup live blog: Follow the action from Monday’s 12 singles matches at Inverness
Leona Maguire (left) and Jennifer Kupcho have been top performers for Team Europe and Team USA.
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The 2021 Solheim Cup will conclude with a grand finale today, as each member of Team USA and Team Europe will compete in 12 singles matches to decide the outcome of the 17th edition of the event, which is being played at Inverness Club in Ohio.
This year’s Cup has been packed with intrigue this far, with tightly-contested team matches and even some rules drama. Team USA trails the Europeans by two points, 9-7, heading into singles, and will try to rally to reclaim the Cup on their home turf.
The first match begins at 12:05 p.m. ET, and you can catch each pairing live on Golf Channel. We’re also tracking all of the action here, so follow along to see who comes out on top.
Solheim Cup quick links
— How to watch
— Scores
— Singles matches previews and pick to win
— 3 things to know from Sunday’s action
2021 Solheim Cup Monday singles match-ups (all times ET)
12:05 p.m. – Lexi Thompson vs. Anna Nordqvist
12:15 p.m. – Ally Ewing vs. Madelene Sagstrom
12:25 p.m. – Jennifer Kupcho vs. Leona Maguire
12:35 p.m. – Nelly Korda vs. Georgia Hall
12:45 p.m. – Mina Harigae vs. Celine Boutier
12:55 p.m. – Austin Ernst vs. Nanna Koerstz Madsen
1:05 p.m. – Lizette Salas vs. Matilda Castren
1:15 p.m. – Brittany Altomare vs. Carlota Ciganda
1:25 p.m. – Megan Khang vs. Sophia Popov
1:35 p.m. – Yealimi Noh vs. Mel Reid
1:45 p.m. – Jessica Korda vs. Charley Hull
1:55 p.m. – Danielle Kang vs. Emily Pedersen
Solheim Cup Monday singles live blog
(All times ET; refresh for updates)
5:25 – Salas falls to Castren, giving Europe the last point the need to retain. So, that’s a wrap for the Solheim Cup. Another great edition. Next stop: Spain, in 2023!
5:17 – Brittany Altomare drains a putt on 17 to win her match against Carlota Ciganda, 2&1. The U.S. is now just two points back, 13-11.
5:13 – Ernst had a putt for the win but settled for a halve. Score: 13-9. Salas is still 1 down on 18. Khang closes out Popov after Popov won three straight holes. Score is now 13-10.
4:53 – If the U.S. could find a way to claim the points in the next three matches, I’m tellin’ ya, there’s a chance!
Ernst and Madsen are tied on 18
Salas is 1 down to Castren on 17
Altomare tied with Ciganda on 16
The next two matches, Khang (4 up) and Noh (3 up), will be locked shortly.
That leaves Korda and Kang to close the deal!!! Korda is tied on 14. Kang 2 down on 13.
4:31 – Nelly Korda wins the first full point in singles for the U.S.! Meanwhile, Brittany Altomare just dropped a absolute bomb to tie up her match with four holes to play. could the tide be turning?! The score is currently 12.5-8.5 with the next three matches all tied.
4:14 – Lexi gave it a good run for birdie on 18, but ended up a couple inches off. That gave Nordqvist a putt to win the match. She missed, and they halved. So now it’s 12.5-7.5. Europe 1.5 points away from retaining the Cup.
3:59 – They’re coming fast and furious. Another point on the board for Europe, as Mina Harigae falls to Celine Boutier. The score: 12-7. Lexi’s match is now a definite must-win to keep Team USA’s hope alive. She and Nordqvist remain tied heading into the final hole.
3:52 – Another point on the board for Europe, as Sagstrom closes out Ewing. The score is now 11-7. Things are getting dire for the U.S.
3:41 – An epic up-and-down from the greenside bunker brings Lexi back to all square with Nordqvist. These two have two holes remaining — hugely meaningful! An update: Nelly Korda is 2 up with four to play. The match following Thompson’s, Ally Ewing and Madelene Sagstrom, looks like it will go Europe’s way.
3:31 – Leona Maguire closes out Kupcho 5&4 to earn the first point of the day in singles for Europe. The score: 10-7. Meanwhile, Ernst just tied up her match heading into No. 12.
3:28 – Lexi misses a short birdie putt on 14 and goes 1 down to Nordqvist.
3:24 – Brittany Altomare just made a clutch putt to get to 1 down at the turn. Meanwhile, Khang is now 6 up (!) through 8.
3:16 – Wow. Nordqvist just missed a putt that could have brought her to 1 up. Let’s play with some scenarios: If Lexi can pull out her match with Nordqvist (currently all tied), and Ewing (1 down) can come back in hers, Nelly Korda is looking good and 2 up through 11. Maguire looks likely to beat Kupcho, but even so, the U.S. Could potentially take the lead through four singles matches. That makes Austin Ernst, Lizette Salas and Brittany Altomare’s matches infinitely important. And all three are currently 1 or 2 down to their opponents.
3:11 – Megan Khang has opened up a huge 5 up lead on Sophia Popov. The only problem? She’s Match No. 9. Let’s hope the U.S. can grind out a few opening matches so her performance will matter.
3:07 – We’re within a couple of holes of the end of the first match. Leona Maguire has maintained her 4 up lead on Kupcho through 12.
2:45 – The lead match, Thompson and Nordqvist, is now tied through 12. This one is a biggie in terms of momentum!
2:24 – With every match out on the course, a quick update: Team USA leads in three. Team Europe leads in four. The rest are tied. This thing is far from over!
2:06 – A birdie on the 9th gives Lexi Thompson her first lead of the match! She’s 1 up heading to the 10th tee.
2:02 – Leona Maguire is really laying the hammer down on Kupcho. She’s now 4 up through seven, and each her wins have been with birdies.
1:53 – Birdie for Lexi! After sticking it close, Thompson nailed her five-foot birdie putt to tie her match with Nordqvist heading into the 9th hole. Meanwhile, Khang extended her lead with a second-straight birdie on No. 2. The U.S. now leads in three matches, and Europe in two.
1:41 -Ten matches are now on the course, with only two yet to tee off. The first match, Thompson and Nordqvist, are on No. 8. Europe currently leads four matches, the U.S. leads two, and three are tied.
1:39 – After getting one back on Nordqvist with a par on the 5th, Nordqvist birdied the 6th to go back to 1 up. Meanwhile, Megan Khang drained a birdie on the first hole to go 1 up on Sophia Popov, and Nelly Korda birdied the 5th to get to 1 down to Georgia Hall.
1:22 – It’s early yet, but just a reminder that Team Europe only needs five points from the 12 matches to retain the Cup — and they’re currently at least 1 up in five of the opening seven matches.
1:17 – A breakthrough for Team USA! Ewing picks up a shot on the par-4 4th to go 1 up — the only American leading a match at the moment. Meanwhile, Maguire continues her dominant form, dropping a bomb on the 4th to go 2 up on Kupcho.
1:05 – Lots of blue is on the board early. Team Europe leads three of the opening five matches 1-up, while two are tied.
12:48 – It’s getting busy at Inverness. World No. 1 Nelly Korda is on the course with Georgia Hall, and went 1 down after missing a birdie putt for the halve. Meanwhile, Maguire drained an eagle putt to go 1 up in her match against Kupcho.
Sagstrom birdied the second to tie her match with Ewing, and after a birdie on the second, Nordqvist leads her match with Thompson through three holes.
12:28 – Time for Match No. 3 to kick off — one of the most anticipated of the day. Rookies Leona Maguire and Jennifer Kupcho, both undefeated this week. Maguire bombs her drive down the fairway, while Kupcho finds the left rough.
Meanwhile, Ewing drains a solid birdie putt to go 1 up. Just ahead on the par-5 2nd, Thompson finds the bunker on her long approach and Nordqvist’s hybrid goes long.
12:18 – Thompson leaves her birdie attempt about six feet short, so she’ll have a tester left for par. Meanwhile, Madelene Sagstrom and Ally Ewing get their match started. Sagstrom hits her drive in the fairway bunker while Ewing smokes hers down the fairway.
Thomspon’s par putt never touches the hole, and Nordqvist’s lips out, so the opening match is ties through the first hole with bogeys.
12:12 – Nordqvist’s approach finds the false front of the green and rolls a few yards off. Thompson hits her shot pin-high, but will have a long lag — perhaps even a chip — for birdie.
12:07 – Nordqvist and Thompson both eschew drivers off the first — Nordqvist finds the first cut with a fairway wood, while Thompson finds the fairway with an iron. LET’S GO!
12:05 – Here we go. Weather is perfect, spirits are high. Lots of smiles and hugs on the American side. The later tee times are all on hand to watch the first shots.
12:00 – We are minutes away from the start of the first match, featuring Lexi Thompson and Anna Nordqvist. The atmosphere is electric, and Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee has already said he thinks Europe will win. One things’s for sure: the Americans need some early momentum to get this things done. Can Lexi be the first to deliver?
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