Second-ranked Lilia Vu captured the deciding half-point and the United States defeated Europe on Sunday to win the Solheim Cup for the first time in seven years.

Vu birdied to win the 17th hole and made a tap-in birdie to take 18 and tie Swiss rookie Albane Valenzuela, giving the Americans 14.5 points to clinch victory at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club with final matches still on the course.

"This is a dream of mine and so happy that I was able to do that," Vu said after dropping her approach inches from the hole to set up her winning putt. "It meant the world."

The Americans, who lead the all-time rivalry 11-7 with one draw, began Sunday's 12 concluding singles matches with a 10-6 advantage, needing only four wins and a draw to reclaim the Cup.

Europe failed to match the greatest last-day Solheim comeback, needing to capture eight singles matches on US soil for the first time, and missed the chance to take the trophy for an unprecedented fourth consecutive time.

World number one Nelly Korda, a six-time LPGA winner this year, was on her first Solheim Cup winner.

"It has been a dream come true," Korda said. "It has been such an amazing week. We all bonded really well." (AFP)