Sorenstam's Solheim thriller
Magic moments that made 2003 memorable
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Your support makes all the difference.Barseback, Sweden Saturday, 13 September
It was late on an autumnal evening on the Swedish coast, Denmark fading into the gloaming, with seemingly the entire gallery of 30,000 trying to catch a glimpse of the final match of the day. Those who managed to do so were witnessing possibly the finest women's golf ever played.
Such is the frenetic nature of events like the Ryder Cup and the Solheim Cup, it is rare for one solitary match to burn itself into the memory banks. But occasionally a truly special moment is forged from inspired play conspiring with peculiar circumstances.
A huge crowd turned out on all three days of the Solheim Cup to watch the country's biggest sporting celebrity, Annika Sorenstam, but also to follow a top-quality match not caring that it was not being played by men. The last of the fourball matches on Saturday afternoon was between Sorenstam and her young apprentice, the 22-year-old Norwegian Suzann Pettersen, for Europe, and the American pairing of Kelly Robbins and Laura Diaz. It was a thriller. There were 15 birdies on the card and four holes, starting with the first, which were halved in birdies.
The fourth of them came at the 17th. Diaz, who had struggled with her game earlier in the week but on this afternoon was clearly finding her touch, hit a five-iron to five feet, the first of two superb shots at the closing two holes.
Both Robbins and Pettersen were effectively out of the hole. Utilising the ploy that means if it is the turn of one player in a partnership they can allow the other to play first, Diaz stepped up and holed her birdie putt. Europe's only chance of getting a half, and staying all square, was for Sorenstam to hole her putt from 20 feet from the fringe.
Knowing she had to hole the putt might have made it marginally easier for Sorenstam but the roar that accompanied the ball falling into the hole told its own story. Months later the Swede would say it was her putt of the season.
The outcome of this match would be the difference between Europe leading by three points, two or one with just the singles to come. With their appalling record on Sundays in the event, they needed as big a cushion as they could get.
Diaz again produced a brilliant approach at the last, an eight-iron to five feet. Pettersen put hers to 12 feet but, again showing off her standing as the world's best player, Sorenstam followed Diaz to eight feet. Diaz again elected to putt first but this time missed. Europe had two chances of winning and Sorenstam was not required after Pettersen holed her putt.
Europe, superbly led by Catrin Nilsmark off the course and by Sorenstam on it, duly completed only their third victory the following day. But of that fourball victory, Sorenstam said: "It was a huge win. The atmosphere was incredible and I didn't want to let anyone down. I wanted to applaud the crowd for making it a fantastic event."
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