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U.S. Women Retain Solheim Cup

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The Associated Press

Published: September 17, 2007

HALMSTAD, Sweden - The Americans were hardly chokers when the stakes were highest at the Solheim Cup.

Doggone good was more like it.

Dominating the singles matches like they always have, the Americans celebrated one of the most coveted wins in women's golf Sunday, a 16-12 decision against Europe that ended any thought that they might be the 'Chokin' freakin' dogs,' that Dottie Pepper said they were.

Led by Morgan Pressel's upset over Annika Sorenstam and Stacy Prammanasudh's surprising win over Suzann Pettersen, the Americans went 8-3-1 in singles. They captured the Solheim on foreign soil for only the second time.

'I was pretty excited when we won it in my rookie year,' Paula Creamer said of the 2005 win at Crooked Stick in Indiana. 'I'm even more excited now.'

They did it in rain and wind and cold, the kind of week in which the love of the game - what the Solheim Cup is all about - is about the only thing that could possibly get someone out on the course.

And they did it with a bit of a chip on their shoulders, placed there by Pepper, the former American player and firebrand who is an analyst on the Golf Channel.

On Saturday, after the United States turned a couple of looming wins into disappointing ties, Pepper called the Americans 'Chokin' freakin' dogs' - a comment she made when she thought she was off the air, but wasn't.

'It was hurtful, very, very hurtful to all of us on the team,' assistant captain Beth Daniel said. 'Dottie's been there. She knows what it's like. Even if she said it off the air, it was ill-spirited.'

Back on the air Sunday, Pepper said she stood by the comments. The Americans insisted they had let the whole thing go by the time they went to bed Saturday and were just concentrating on winning. But before the winning started, there were a few more disappointments.

Because of the brutal weather, the fourball matches needed to be finished early Sunday. And when Creamer and Seminole's Brittany Lincicome each missed 3-foot tap-ins on No. 17, it cost their team a hole, the lead and eventually a half-point in a tie against Linda Wessberg and Maria Hjorth.

The Europeans went into the final round with an 8 1/2 -7 1/2 lead, and the Americans - with four rookies on the team - looked like they might be too young and nervous to actually win this event.

'But we knew 16, 17, 18, they're tough holes,' Juli Inkster said. 'It wasn't like we were playing that bad. It wasn't like we were giving it away.'

When the singles rolled around, those setbacks were forgotten and the Americans took control.

At one point, they led in eight of the 12 matches with a few more tied. Red dominated the scoreboard and there was no way the Europeans could ignore it.

Inkster took a big early lead for a 4 and 3 win over Iben Tinning. Pat Hurst led almost the whole way in a 2 and 1 win over Sophie Gustafson. Pressel got her first Solheim Cup win, 2 and 1 over Sorenstam - in Sorenstam's home country, no less.

The Americans improved their winning percentage in singles to .602 over the history of the event.

Nicole Castrale made an 8-footer to close out a 3 and 2 victory over Bettina Hauert and make things official, giving the United States 14 1/2 points to secure its second straight win, but first on foreign soil since 1996.

'None of us feel like losers,' said Laura Davies, who beat Lincicome 4 and 3 in singles action. 'We lost to a better team today.'

After Castrale closed things out, the Americans piled into a cart to watch the rest of the matches. Laura Diaz waved an American flag. Later, they got in a big huddle and cheered 'U.S.A., U.S.A., All the way!'

'I thought we had a lot of talent on our team but that it would be tough to do it over here if you go by history,' American captain Betsy King said. 'I thought we were going to do it, but I didn't want to say that before we did it. So now I'm saying it.'

CHAMPIONS: R.W. Eaks won his second title of the year, closing with a 2-under 70 to hold off Jay Haas and Rod Spittle by two strokes in the Greater Hickory Classic in Conover, N.C. Eaks finished with a 17-under 199 total to break the tournament record of 16-under 200 set by Haas in 2005.

PGA EUROPEAN: Soren Hansen had two late eagles to finish with a 5-under 67 and win the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Pulheim, Germany, by four strokes. Hansen, who won his second career title, finished at 17-under 271. Phillip Archer (68) and Alastair Forsyth (70) shared second place.

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