(EDS Reissues with corrected keyword) ST. LEON-ROT, Germany, Sept 19 AP - Charley Hull and Suzann Pettersen beat Alison Lee and Brittany Lincicome 2-up in controversial fashion at the Solheim Cup to give Europe a 10-6 lead over the United States going into Sunday's singles matches.
Lee missed a short putt for a birdie on the 17th of their resumed fourball match and then picked up her ball under the assumption Europe had conceded - Hull was already walking toward the last hole - only for Pettersen to claim Europe hadn't conceded the short putt. The umpire intervened and Europe was awarded the hole.
"I missed it but I had just under two feet, like a foot and a half left coming back. And I looked at it and I thought I heard it was good," Lee said.
"To me it looked good. I mean, it was a really short putt, easy putt.
"And at the same time Charley was walking off the green and Suzann was already off the green so there was no doubt in my mind that putt was good. I didn't even think twice about it. So I just picked it up."
Lincicome said Hull and Pettersen were both heading to the last hole.
"So maybe that's why Alison thought she heard them say it was good, because their backs were almost to us and they were kind of walking away. And then she just picked it up because she thought she heard someone say it was good. And they both said, 'No, we didn't say it was good.'
"I don't know if it was somebody in the crowd that said it," Lincicome said.
"The putt was a foot. They had given us putts farther than that all day. And Alison just thought she heard it was good."
Lee and Lincicome had been 1-up after 15 holes before England's Hull made a birdie on the 16th to draw the Europeans level.
Hull's birdie on the 18th sealed Europe's second win from the fourballs and leaves the Americans at a huge disadvantage before the 12 singles matches.
"It's just B.S. as far as I'm concerned," U.S. captain Juli Inkster told NBC's Golf Channel.
"Everything was going great. I thought it was a great week for women's golf and to put a dampener on that ... I mean, there's no way they could ever justify that. I don't care what you say, you just don't do that to your peers."
The 20-year-old Lee, the only rookie on either team, and the 19-year-old Hull were both in tears after the match.
