The vagaries of match play are undefeated. The format dictates that you should always expect the unexpected, but when it comes to what happened on the 18th hole with Lexi Thompson in the afternoon fourball session, it would be tough to fathom what happened greenside for the American side.
A hard-fought match between Lexi and teammate Lilia Vu against Leona Maguire and Georgia Hall went to the final hole with the sides tied. The Americans seemingly had the advantage when Lexi’s second shot ended up just short of the green in the rough short of the hole. And Maguire’s third shot rolled off the green down a hill.
Turns out, Lexi would not get up and down … and instead provided a lowlight for what was otherwise a bright Friday for the Americans. She shanked a pitch shot.
Just brutal. Lexi ended up hitting a brilliant fourth shot to within two feet, but a par wasn’t good enough after Maguire’s heroics.
Lexi secured a point earlier in the day alongside Megan Khang, quieting the critics who questioned why Stacy Lewis would send out Lexi first after the Solheim Cup veteran made only three cuts all year. But Lexi responded … until that third shot on Friday. Her American side still will take a 5-3 lead into Saturday’s sessions.