USA 2.5 - Europe 1.5

SUGAR GROVE, Ill.-- Halfway through Friday morning, U.S. captain Beth Daniel's decision to change the format of the 11th Solheim Cup to start with four-ball matches and follow with foursomes looked like a bust. Europe was in control of three matches and the Americans only one.Â

But in mere minutes on the home stretch, the U.S. team suddenly woke up and shifted into overdrive. Players such as Cristie Kerr and Michelle Wie, both of whom were not selected for their team's afternoon line-up, started pouring in birdies while their opponents made mistakes.Â

Ultimately, Daniel's gamble paid off. Her team managed to take home two and a half out of four points in the four-ball, a format with which the Americans have always been more comfortable than foursomes. The added confidence boost of such a lead will surely help in the afternoon.

Now all that's left to do for Daniel is to question whether Kerr, Pressel, Wie and Lang should really have been benched for the afternoon, and whether Inkster and Stanford, who lost their morning match and didn't seem to be very comfortable on the course, should really have been picked to play again.

For detailed morning results, click here.

--Stina Sternberg