USA regain Solheim Cup 15.5 - 12.5

Led by Wendy Ward's amazing effort against Annika Sorenstam, the United States came from two matches down at the start of the day to defeat Europe 15 1/2-12 1/2 Sunday and capture one of the most coveted prizes in women's golf.

When Frenchwoman Karine Icher missed a short putt on No. 15 in her match against Rosie Jones, the Americans were assured of the 14 1/2 points they needed to bring the Cup back to their home turf.

Moments later, Captain Patty Sheehan learned the news, and dropped her head to the ground in a moment of huge relief and celebration. She hugged Pat Hurst, and the Americans who had already made it off the course started jumping for joy.

No one played tougher than Ward. Ranked 56th on the LPGA money list, she was sent out against the world's best player, Sorenstam, and she played her toe-to-toe through all 18 holes.

Ward had a chance to win the match on No. 18, but skidded a 4-foot putt past the hole. It didn't matter. It was still a half-point the Americans didn't expect, and added to a slew of wins earlier in the day.

``I wanted that putt so bad for the whole point,'' Ward said. ``But a half-point isn't bad.''

The victory helped soothe what could have been a terrible disappointment for American Michele Redman.

Leading Suzann Pettersen by five with five holes remaining, Redman watched Pettersen chip in on No. 14 to stay in the match and trigger a shanking, three-putting meltdown by Redman.

Pettersen took it to No. 18 and made a 15-foot putt to halve the most incredible match of the day. Redman was disconsolate, but a few minutes later, she was celebrating.

``I got the half-point, that's just the way it worked out, the team won and that's all that matters,'' Redman said. ``My teammates pulled me through, and I'm really happy about that.''

Sheehan came under criticism Saturday, when she rested three of her best players -- Juli Inkster, Laura Diaz and Meg Mallon -- during the afternoon matches, which Europe swept 4-0 to take a 9-7 lead.

The move paid off. All three of those players won Sunday, as part of an 8 1/2-3 1/2 runaway in the singles.

``We have a history of coming from behind on Sundays,'' Sheehan said.

Perhaps she was talking about 1996, when the United States trailed by an identical 9-7 score after two days, but rallied for a 17-11 victory.

European captain Dale Reid, so confident after the Saturday-afternoon sweep, simply sat by the 18th green after she knew of the loss, and chewed on a piece of grass.

``This was very hard,'' Reid said. ``But we didn't make a lot of points. We had a lot of three-putts. It just didn't seem to want to drop today.''

There is a little good news for the Europeans.

They'll only have to wait one year, not two, for a chance to win the cup, next year in Malmo, Sweden. Beginning in 2003, the Solheim Cup will be played in odd years, so it won't run up against the Ryder Cup, which was put on an even-year schedule when it was postponed in 2001 after the terrorist attacks.

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