Big momentum swings marked Day 2 at the 2021 Solheim Cup, which saw Team USA claw back from a deficit in the morning, then fall back slightly in the afternoon. Team Europe leads by two points heading into Monday’s singles matches, needing a tie in overall points to retain the cup. Here’s a snapshot of the 12 singles matches for the third and final day of play, including predictions for the outcome of each.
1. Anna Nordqvist (EUR) vs. Lexi Thompson (USA) — 12:05 p.m. EDT
Here we go again. A decision by both captains to break out the big guns early brings a reprise of a 2017 slugfest that many regard as the greatest singles match in Solheim Cup history. That back-and-forth contest ended in a tie. Each player is 2-and-1 heading into this Day 3 showdown. Something has to give. WINNER: Nordqvist
2. Madelene Sagstrom (EUR) vs. Ally Ewing (USA) — 12:15 p.m. EDT
In her second Solheim Cup appearance, Ewing has been relatively quiet, picking up one point in three matches. Her Swedish opponent, meanwhile, has yet to win a match. But she did grab headlines Friday with a rules violation when she picked up Nelly Korda’s ball prematurely as it hung on the lip in foursomes. The move cost Sagstrom’s team the hole in a match they wound up losing by one. WINNER: Ewing
3. Leona Maguire (EUR) vs. Jennifer Kupcho (USA) — 12:25 p.m. EDT
If any match can equal the high expectations of the Nordqvist/Thompson opener, it’s this meeting of Solheim Cup rookies, both of whom have played like icy veterans in showings that have put them in the running for MVP. Kupcho is 3-0, while Maguire, having played in all four sessions, is an impressive 3-0-1. WINNER: Halve
4. Georgia Hall (EUR) vs. Nelly Korda (USA) — 12:35 p.m. EDT
At 25, Hall has seasoning beyond her years in the Solheim, having played (and shined) in two prior iterations of the event. She’ll need to draw on that experience — and her recent solid form — to have a go at Korda, whose dominant season, highlighted by a major title and an Olympic gold medal, have vaulted her to the top-ranking in the world. WINNER: Hall
5. Celine Boutier (EUR) vs. Mina Hiragae (USA) — 12:45 p.m. EDT
A Solheim Cup rookie, Hiragae lost her opening match on Friday but bounced back on Saturday afternoon, making five front-nine birdies to lead her team to a 3-and-1 fourball win. On the losing end of that match was the Frenchwoman, Boutier, who’ll be looking for her first full point of this year’s event. WINNER: Hiragae
6. Nanna Koerstz Madsen (EUR) vs. Austin Ernst (USA) — 12:55 p.m. EDT
A two-time winner on the LPGA Tour this year, Ernst has also notched two points in three matches this week. She’ll be up against a Solheim Cup rookie in Koerstz Madsen, a powerful player who averages 275 yards off the tee. WINNER: Ernst
7. Matilda Castren (EUR) vs. Lizette Salas (USA) — 1:05 p.m. EDT
Earlier this season, Castren became the first Finn to ever win on the LPGA Tour. But this year also marks her first Solheim Cup appearance, and she’s sure to have her hands full with the clutch-putting Salas, a short hitter with a big heart. WINNER: Salas
8. Carlota Ciganda (EUR) vs. Brittany Altomare (USA) — 1:15 p.m. (EDT)
A match of contrasting demeanors finds the understated Altomare, one of Captain Patty Hurst’s three hand-picked additions, against the emotive Ciganda, who calls the Solheim Cup her favorite week in golf. In her first Solheim appearance, in 2019, Altomare won her singles match in a runaway, 5 and 4, over Jodi Ewart Shadoff. WINNER: Ciganda
9. Sophia Popov (EUR) vs. Megan Khang (USA) — 1:25 p.m. EDT
One of the great recent stories in women’s golf, Popov came out of nowhere to win the 2020 AIG Women’s Open and has shown little let up since. A Solheim Cup rookie, she’ll face a model of precision in the 23-year-old Khang, one of the straightest hitters on the LPGA Tour. WINNER: Popov
10. Mel Reid (EUR) vs. Yealimi Noh (USA) — 1:35 p.m. EDT
It’s rookie vs. veteran in the third-to-last match, which pits Noh, 20, the youngest player on either team, against the famously clutch, fist-pumping Reid, 33, who has been very much on-brand with her play thus far this week. WINNER: Noh
11. Charley Hull (EUR) vs. Jessica Korda (USA) — 1:45 p.m. EDT
Overshadowed of late by her kid sister, Nelly, Korda remains a force to be reckoned with. She’ll be the bookmakers’ favorite against Hull, who, at 25, has tons of Solheim Cup seasoning but has struggled this year and has lost both of her matches this week. WINNER: Korda
12. Emily K. Pedersen (EUR) vs. Danielle Kang (USA) — 1:55 p.m. EDT
“You’re trying to take souls. Just crush the other team. That’s the fun of it,” Kang said in advance of the 2019 Solheim Cup, summing up the mindset she brings to the event. Hold onto your seat if the cup comes down to this final match, as the soul Kang will be trying to crush is that of the resurgent Pederson, a former Ladies European Tour rookie of the year. WINNER: Pedersen
Ed. note: Should these predictions bear out, the U.S. would win 6.5 points on Monday to claim 13.5 points overall — or one point shy of the total they need to reclaim the cup. Yep, here’s hoping our prognostications are wrong!
