(Reuters) -Lilia Vu secured the Solheim Cup for the United States on Sunday in Gainesville, Virginia, when she clinched half a point in her match against Europe’s Albane Valenzuela that took the hosts to the 14-1/2 target they needed to regain the trophy.
The U.S. needed 4-1/2 points from the 12 singles matches and wins for Megan Khang, Rose Zhang, Allisen Corpuz and a half-point each from Andrea Lee and Lauren Coughlin set the stage for Vu, who sealed it with just two other matches on the course.
Vu trailed Valenzuela with two holes to play as Europe mounted a fierce charge on the final day but the American capped her round with a pair of birdies, including at the last where she tapped in after a brilliant approach shot.
It marked the Americans’ first win in the biennial match-play competition since 2017 and denied Europe from lifting the Solheim Cup trophy for an unprecedented fourth consecutive time.
The U.S. lead the overall Solheim Cup series 11-7-1, with the one tie coming last year in Spain.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in TorontoEditing by Christina Fincher and Pritha Sarkar)
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