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Gasol completes historic double; Spain wins World Cup

<p>GLENEAGLES, Scotland &#8212; Suzann Pettersen stood over the final shot of her golfing career, not quite realizing it also was the last shot of the most dramatic Solheim Cup ever played.</p><p>Europe&#8217;s players had their hands over their mouths, and their captain could barely watch. Blissfully unaware of what was unfolding was 1-year-old Herman, Pettersen&#8217;s first child who was also among the thousands around the 18th green at Gleneagles.</p><p>The putt was from 7 feet, slightly left to right, and it never looked like missing.</p><p>After being mobbed by her teammates on the 18th green, an emotional Pettersen held Herman in her arms and kissed him. The Europeans had regained the Solheim Cup and one of the stalwarts of women&#8217;s golf had her perfect ending.</p><p>&#8220;Yeah, this is it. I&#8217;m completely done,&#8221; said the 38-year-old Pettersen, confirming her sudden decision to retire. &#8220;It doesn&#8217;t get any better.&#8221;</p><p>On an afternoon of singles matches that pretty much had everything, Europe secured a 14 1/2-13 1/2 win over the United States to claim the biggest team prize in female golf for the first time since 2013.</p><p>The final act, spread over two holes with virtually simultaneous putts, could not have been more thrilling.</p><p>Just as Pettersen was addressing her putt at No. 18, U.S. player Ally McDonald slid a putt to the right of the hole at No. 17 and walked up to Bronte Law to concede the match in favor of the Europeans.</p><p>The score changed to 13 1/2-13 1/2 and &#8212; without her even realizing &#8212; the outcome of the contest hinged on Pettersen.</p><p>&#8220;I thought Bronte was in behind me on the (18th) fairway,&#8221; Pettersen said. &#8220;I actually didn&#8217;t know that it was THE putt.&#8221;</p><p>That it was Pettersen who secured the winning point felt apt.</p><p>She was a contentious wild-card pick by European captain Catriona Matthew because Pettersen had played just two tournaments &#8212; missing the cut in both &#8212; since November 2017. She had time off before and after giving birth to Herman, and then because of injury.</p><p>Pettersen also had a score to settle with the Solheim Cup. In her most recent appearance, at St. Leon-Rot in Germany in 2015, she refused to concede a short putt to Alison Lee on the 17th hole of a tight fourballs match before the singles on the final day. There were angry exchanges, and it stoked a fire inside the Americans as they fought back from 10-6 down going into the singles to win 14&#189;-13&#189;.</p><p>Pettersen later apologized.</p><p>&#8220;She gone from villain to hero,&#8221; said Laura Davies, one of the European vice captains.</p><p>Pettersen&#8217;s redemption story was delivered in Scotland, the home of golf, where the U.S. team hasn&#8217;t now won in three attempts. Playing in her ninth Solheim Cup, Pettersen won two of her three matches and is now a four-time Solheim Cup winner.</p><p>The day started with the teams locked at 8-8 after four sessions, and the first definitive break of the entire contest happened when the Americans took the lead for the first time since Friday lunchtime, at 12-11.</p><p>At 13 1/2-11 1/2, they needed just a half-point from the final three singles matches out on the course to guarantee retaining the cup, but then came the European fightback.</p><p>Anna Nordqvist completed a 4-and-3 win over Morgan Pressel. Then, on No. 17, Law sealed a 2-and-1 win over McDonald to tie the score. Pettersen delivered for Europe on No. 18, but only after her opponent, Marina Alex, slid a 10-foot birdie putt wide that, if it had found the hole, would have been enough for the U.S.</p><p>&#8220;I told them afterward, the sun&#8217;s going to come up tomorrow,&#8221; said U.S. captain Juli Inkster, when asked what she&#8217;d said to her players. &#8220;It was great for women&#8217;s golf. We played great.</p><p>&#8220;But you know what, the Europeans played great. You tip your hat. And you move on to Toledo.&#8221;</p><p>Inkster won&#8217;t be there in 2021, confirming afterward that she will not be captain for a fourth straight match. She finishes with two victories from three Solheim Cups as captain.</p><p>Two of the Americans, in particular, will still look back on the week with fond memories despite the loss. Jessica and Nelly Korda, the first sisters to play together in the fourballs or foursomes at the Solheim Cup, both finished with 3 1/2 points from four matches after coming from behind to win in the singles.</p><p>Nelly Korda, out in Match 2, was 3 down after nine holes against Caroline Hedwall but won 2 up. Jessica Korda, who at age 26 is five years older than her sister, beat Caroline Masson 3 and 2 after being 2 down.</p><p>Other key interventions for the U.S. in the singles came from Megan Khang, who birdied No. 18 to claim a half-point against Charley Hull, and Lizette Salas, who parred the last for a 1-up win over Anne van Dam.</p><p>But Europe, which had a historically inferior record in singles, managed to win the session 6 1/2-5 1/2 after victories in three of the first matches to finish &#8212; including Georgia Hall taking down world No. 3 Lexi Thompson 2 and 1 &#8212; and then those last three matches.</p><p>Hall and Celine Boutier, a 2-and-1 winner over Annie Park, both won all four of their matches.</p><p>Thompson, the highest-ranked player at Gleneagles, collected just two half-points from four matches.</p><p>Matthew, carried shoulder-high by her players on the 18th green, celebrated victory in her home country.</p><p>And Pettersen closed her career with 21 points in the Solheim Cup, the Norwegian described by Matthew as &#8220;one of the trailblazers in women&#8217;s golf.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Coming down No. 18, Beany (Matthew) said, &#8216;It&#8217;s why I picked you,&#8217;&#8221; Pettersen said. &#8220;In your wildest dreams, especially where I&#8217;ve come from, I never thought I was going to do this again.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Chile&#8217;s Niemann wins by 6 shots at The Greenbrier</strong></p><p>WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. &#8212; Joaquin Niemann became the first player from Chile to win on the PGA Tour, shooting a 6-under 64 on Sunday for a six-stroke victory in A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier.</p><p>The 20-year-old Niemann entered the final round of the season opener with a two-stroke lead and Niemann held off challenges from Tom Hoge and Richy Werenski.</p><p>Niemann birdied the final three holes to finish at 21-under 259 at Old White TPC.</p><p>It marks the first year since 1931 that there has been more than one tour winner under 21. Matthew Wolff won the 3M Open in June at 20 years, 2 months.</p><p>Niemann is the first third-round leader to win at The Greenbrier since its debut in 2010.</p><p>Hoge shot 65 and finished second at 15 under. Werenski faded to a 69 and finished in a four-way tie for third at 14 under.</p><p><strong>Jerry Kelly wins in Michigan for 2nd win of the year</strong></p><p>GRAND BLANC, Mich. &#8212; Jerry Kelly played bogey-free Sunday at Warwick Hills and closed with a 4-under 68 for a two-shot victory in the Ally Challenge, his second victory this year on the PGA Tour Champions and moving him a little closer to the top of the Charles Schwab Cup standings.</p><p>Kelly started the final round with a one-shot lead over Schwab Cup leader Scott McCarron and Woody Austin. Only one of them challenged Kelly.</p><p>McCarron fell apart with four bogeys in a five-hole stretch around the turn and shot 75 to tie for 15th. Austin caught Kelly briefly with a birdie on No. 3, but he never could conjure up the vibes at Warwick Hills, where Austin won his first PGA Tour event.</p><p>Kelly had a pair of birdies on the front nine, and he seized control on the back nine when Austin made bogey on the par-4 15th. Two holes later, on the par-3 17th, Kelly made his final birdie for a three-shot lead.</p><p>Austin birdied the 18th and shot 69 to finish alone in second. Steve Flesch (66) and Tim Petrovic (67) tied for third, four shots behind.</p><p>Kelly also won two months ago in his native Wisconsin at the American Insurance Family Championship. He became the fourth multiple winner this year on the PGA Tour Champions, joining McCarron (three victories), and Steve Stricker and Bernhard Langer (two).</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Team Europe&#8217;s Suzann Pettersen, center, celebrates with her team and the trophy following Team Europe&#8217;s victory in the Solheim Cup against the US at Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Scotland on Sunday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_123579420-166165c284584fa98c251344bc4f436e.jpg</photo0><caption0>Team Europe&#8217;s Suzann Pettersen, center, celebrates with her team and the trophy following Team Europe&#8217;s victory in the Solheim Cup against the US at Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Scotland on Sunday. </caption0><photoCredit0>AP photo </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_123579420-f11f20ae20804abbbd662a81d1a8fddd.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Team Europe's Suzann Pettersen, bottom left, announces her retirement in the post match press conference following Team Europe's victory in the Solheim Cup against the US at Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Scotland, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019. (Ian Rutherford/PA via AP)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_123579420-f11f20ae20804abbbd662a81d1a8fddd.jpg</photo1><caption1>Team Europe's Suzann Pettersen, bottom left, announces her retirement in the post match press conference following Team Europe's victory in the Solheim Cup against the US at Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Scotland, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019. (Ian Rutherford/PA via AP)</caption1><photoCredit1>AP photo </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_123579420-08295ac779944024983811ea17cc846b.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Suzann Pettersen of Europe celebrates after holing a putt on the 18th green to win the Solheim cup against the US at Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Scotland, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_123579420-08295ac779944024983811ea17cc846b.jpg</photo2><caption2>Suzann Pettersen of Europe celebrates after holing a putt on the 18th green to win the Solheim cup against the US at Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Scotland, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)</caption2><photoCredit2>AP photo </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>The Associated Press</p></bylineMeta></div>

Pettersen wins dramatic Solheim Cup for Europe then retires