Michelle Wie still can't close in morning fourballs at the Solheim Cup

I feel a little bit guilty writing this, considering on the back nine of the Solheim Cup fourballs this morning, Michelle Wie seemed to be carrying her partner Morgan Pressel. But the fact is, Wie still couldn’t come through on the last two holes of her match and let half a point get away.

On the 17th, Pressel cold topped her approach shot from the fairway into the water, but Wie had a chance for a routine up-and-down to win the match. She couldn’t convert.

Their European opponents, Catriona Matthew and Maria Hjorth were let off the hook and had life on the 18th hole. We’ve seen this movie a million times…

On the 18th, Wie blew her tee shot way, way right, and never seriously threatened, despite some ridiculous ruling opposition from a whiny European team in the 18th fairway regarding some unmarked ground under repair. Relief or not, Wie was looking at a mid-iron from a downhill lie into an uphill green with a tucked pin. 10 out of 10 shots will miss the green.

Once the dust settled, Matthew made a clutch birdie putt, like someone with major championship nerves would and seized the opportunity. The same goes for Helen Alfredsson a group earlier, earning Europe’s only full point.

This was a match the Americans should have won. It was a two-on-one match with Pressel and Wie vs. Ricoh British Open champion Matthew. Judging by Golf Channel TV coverage, Hjorth was whacking the ball all over the yard with a shovel and contributed practically nothing to her team.

So Wie will sit out this afternoon, a move I’m not crazy about. They should leave her in and let her continue to gain experience. Pressel has a major championship under her belt, so we can give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she’ll come through at some point this weekend, even if the golf course does appear a little long for her.

But sometime during the Solheim Cup, Wie is going to have to close something out and earn a full point.

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