Europe stage great recovery

AT lunchtime at St Pierre yesterday there was a lot of brave, if cliched, talk about there being a lot of golf still to be played, about it not being over yet, about golf being a funny game. At that stage America led Europe in the Solheim Cup by 3 1/2 to a half and a rout was in prospect.

After the afternoon session, though, that had been averted.

Europe won the four ball series by 2 1/2 to 1 1/2 and while they may, overall, be two points behind at 3-5, all the aforementioned cliche's have real meaning to them once again. As the Ryder Cup men proved in America last year, two points can be more than made up in 12 matches, let alone the 20 still to come here.

St Pierre is a two tier course, with holes three to six only achieved by roping up and slipping on the crampons. Once up there, though, there is a natural ampitheatre offering a view of the fifth and sixth greens and early in the afternoon this heavily populated Kop was uncannily quiet. Perhaps they had been stunned into silence by the events of the morning, but even when the first match through the sixth was won for Europe by a Trish Johnson birdie, there was not much reaction.

Next up was Kathryn Marshall who was greeted with a couple of half hearted shouts of "Come on Europe" and she promptly urged them on, asking for more.

But they needed something real to get excited about. Immediately, Marshall's partner, Annika Sorenstam, provided it. In went a 20 foot putt for a birdie, to move the pair to two up and to move the crowd to enthusiasm. So much so that when, in the next match, Liselotte Neumann also holed from the same distance for a winning birdie, there was the distinct suggestion of a roar. They were beginning to get the hang of it.

It was now 3.18 p.m. and the scoreboard by the 6th showed, in match order, Europe leading by three, two, two and one holes. Forty minutes later, the board got as good as it would get, showing figures of five, three, two and two up, and the top match in particular was generating real excitement.

Laura Davies and Johnson were out in 30, five under and Davies went for a huge drive over the be-treed corner of the long 10th. The ball clattered down into the roots, from whence she dispatched it into more trees and was effectively out of it. Not to worry. Johnson holed a winning 8 footer.

Typically, the world number one came straight back into matters. A 60 foot chip at the short 11th ran straight into the hole, the pair moved to five up. Two holes and two more birdies later and the match was over; Davies and Johnson were nine under for 12 holes.

Behind them Sorenstam and Marshall managed to hang on to enough of their three hole lead after 12 to win on the last, but Neumann and Catrin Nilsmark could not hold off the remarkable Dottie Pepper and partner Betsy King, who won on the last green.

Finally, the final fourball reached the last green and, with a win for Europe looking likely after two great shots from Nicholas, American Beth Daniel, in the trees and out with her second shot, holed from 15 feet for a very unlikely, and rather unfair, half.

The initial stages of the morning foursomes had looked distinctly promising as Sorenstam and Nilsmark quickly went three up on Robbins and Michelle McGann.

The American partnership took 40 - five over par - to the turn and were deservedly three down. At this stage Europe were leading in three matches, down only in one, but there was some serious unravelling to come. Not only did Robbins and McGann settle down, they produced four birdies on the back nine, including one at the last.

The Swedes had played the back nine in 37, but much worse was to come. Davies and Nicholas, down all the way from the fifth, came back in 38 to lose for the first time ever in foursomes, while Marie Laure de Lorenzi and Dale Reid, level at the turn, contrived to take 41 for the homeward half and still only lose by one hole. Daniel and Val Skinner took 40 and got away with it.

Perhaps the worst display of the lot came from the bottom match. Helen Alfredsson and Neumann were two under par, and two up on Pepper and Brandie Burton, after 10 holes. They shook hands on the 17th green, having lost 2 and 1, having bogied five of the seven holes.