Former Arkansas Razorbacks golfer Stacy Lewis emerged from the opening day of the Solheim Cup competition without a point in two matches on the course, but she didn’t leave the Colorado Gulf Club Course without expressing a strong point of contention to tournament officials in Parker. Colo.
Lewis and Lexi Thompson waited 25 minutes on the par-5 15th for European team member Carlota Ciganda to find her ball, which was lodged in knee-high scrub in a hazard, then for a cadre of rules officials to tell Ciganda where it was legal to drop.
“That’s not golf,” Lewis said.
Ciganda salvaged par. After the delay, Thompson needed three shots to get down from 50 feet and Lewis needed two putts from 20. A sure victory that would have put the Americans 1 up instead turned into a halved hole. Over the next half-hour, a lead that had once stood at 2 up was a 1-down defeat. What looked like a sure point for the U.S. team instead went into the European column, and the Europeans went home after Day 1 with a 5-3 lead.
“It’s hard to just stand there because we’re not doing anything, and all of the sudden, you wait 25 minutes to hit a putt,” Lewis said.
- Coverage, Page 5C
Sports, Pages 21 on 08/17/2013