GAINESVILLE, Va. — Saturday at the Solheim Cup would have been Karsten Solheim’s 113th birthday. The man, who alongside his wife Louis, was one of the original partners who agreed to a 10-event contract to get the biennial matches started. Their son, John Solheim, remains part of the tournament’s DNA. He threw hats to fans around the first tee grandstands in the morning.

The first two days of the 19th Solheim Cup harkened back to the early days of the American dominance, as their towering talent took a 10-6 lead.

“They’re playing the way I expected them to play, so I’m not surprised at all,” U.S. Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis said. “But at the same time, to do it on this stage and in these moments and to pull these shots off and to make the putts and to do it with the joy that they’re doing it with, it’s the coolest part to me.”

Despite the on-paper American talent advantage taking a 6-2 Day 1 lead, it was not fait accompli that they would pull away Saturday. The Euros had a brief window in the morning to make the Solheim Cup close during foursomes, holding three leads of at least 2 up as the Americans snoozed through the opening part of the front nine. The only noise permeating the crowds were cowbells from Anna Nordqvist’s family as the banana-suit-wearing European supporters celebrated the vice captain’s wins on four of her first five holes. The Americans only won four holes total amongst their four groups as the first match made the turn.

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But in a five-minute stretch, the deep U.S. roster flexed its muscle as three American pairs won three holes to launch a dominant Saturday. The major champion tandem of Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz birdied the 10th for their first win of the day. Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho birdied the ninth to get back to 2 down. Lauren Coughlin and Lexi Thompson won with a par on No. 8 to return to 2 up. The American side’s momentum started their run to tie the morning foursomes session 2-2. They continued marching to the roars in a 2-2 four-ball afternoon to maintain a four-point lead.

Megan Khang reacts to making the putt to win the match on the 14th hole during Saturday’s four-ball session.

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The U.S. trailed by the same 10-6 score nine years go in Germany at St. Leon-Rot before winning the final five singles matches to complete an 8½-point Sunday blitz and rip away the 2015 Solheim Cup. This year’s European captain Suzann Pettersen played on that losing team, which was oh-so-close to winning for the third straight time.

“I know what it feels like going into Sunday,” Pettersen said. “Everyone remembers Medinah [2012 Ryder Cup]. I mean, it’s a tough task. It’s a lot to ask. But the situation is 10-6. All you can do is just literally go out hard, play your heart out, and hopefully we get enough points that we can kind of keep this exciting and fun for the bottom half to show up and get their points, as well.”

The challenge remains that Europe is running up against a U.S. Solheim Cup roster that continues expanding the record book outside its nation’s capital. Korda and Corpuz’s 3-and-2 morning comeback made them the first Solheim Cup pair to win four straight foursomes matches. Korda, Coughlin and Rose Zhang are 3-0-0—current assistant captain Morgan Pressel in 2011 is the only other American to have that clean record going into singles since 2000. Coughlin, only 70 minutes from her home in Charlottesville, Va., has nearly added her own chapter to the record book, becoming only the third player to win all three matches and not see the 17th tee. She joins Beth Daniel (1990) and Carin Koch (2002).

Zhang has returned from scoring a meager half-point in Spain with a vengeance, winning 12 of her last 21 holes and obliterating the back nine for a three-point week. Zhang is a combined 12 under par on the closing side over two four-ball matches despite only playing 10 holes on the back nine, bludgeoning the Euros with 5 and 4 and 6 and 4 victories alongside Andrea Lee.

As deep as the Americans have been, Pettersen has dealt with constricted lineup options. Leona Maguire, Europe’s best player over the last two Solheim Cups, only warranted play in one session over the first two days. Pettersen felt Maguire was out of form.

Nelly Korda only played on session Saturday and will be well rested for Sunday singles.

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While Lewis got historic sweeps Friday out of her two Solheim Cup rookies in Coughlin and Sarah Schmelzel, Pettersen hasn’t gotten similar output from her two first-timers Albane Valenzula and Esther Henseleit. Valenzuela lost the second foursomes match 3 and 2 with Celine Boutier Friday and didn’t play again. Henseleit went 1-1-0, delivering a clutch approach shot from the fairway to a foot on the 18th to win her final match. Two-time DP World Tour winner Linn Grant, whom Pettersen played for five sessions in Spain, has gone 1-2-0.

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Pettersen has leaned heavily on Charley Hull and World No. 103 Emily Pedersen for all four team sessions. While the ironwomen each scratched out a late win in four-ball Saturday to tie the session, they face an energy deficit versus the Americans in singles. Lewis stuck to the American belief of not playing anyone for four team sessions, resting Nelly Korda Saturday afternoon.

“I just think five matches, you just never know if they come all the way to 18 like this, you’re out here five-and-a-half, six hours,” Lewis explained. “Just tried to keep my horses fresh and we’re going to ride them in tomorrow.”

But unless the European’s match history with a four-point comeback on Sunday, the U.S. Solheim Cup team’s year-long unfinished business is on the verge of completion.

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com