European team captain Catriona Matthew paid tribute to her players for the incredible team spirit displayed in their 15-13 victory over a strong American side in the 17th Solheim Cup at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.
Taking a two-point lead into the final day singles on Monday, Team Europe piled on the points early on but had to stave off a late fightback from their opponents. Finnish rookie Matilda Castren got the 14th point that ensured the tie for Europe to retain the Cup, edging American stalwart Lizette Salas 1-up in a tight match. This was only the second time that the Europeans had won on US soil.
“You know, obviously two years ago at Gleneagles in Scotland was fantastic, but this time in America we were up against it. The Americans were a fantastic team this year. They played hard,” said Matthew, who became the first European captain to win back-to-back matches.
“We just perhaps holed a few more putts and were lucky we came out on top. I’d like to thank my team. I had a fantastic team, and the captains and our helpers and our caddies and just everyone, the LET (Ladies European Tour) staff. We’ve been one big team, and we’ve loved every moment of it,” added the Scottish legend.
Matthew is well aware of the immense pressure on players in the biennial intercontinental match, which the Americans still lead overall with 10 wins to Europe’s 7. She mustered an 18-11-8 record as a player in nine Solheim Cup matches from 1998 to 2017.
“We got off to such a good start winning three points in the first few games, and then it looked pretty close. We knew it was going to be close, and Matilda obviously holing that fantastic putt on 18 to get her full point, and then Emily (Pedersen) closing out on 18 (in the final match against Danielle Kang) was just a dream come true really.
“I think we were a team of 12. They all contributed. One person doesn’t win it, we needed all 12 of them, so just congratulations to the whole team,” noted Matthew.
Asked if she would consider taking on the captain’s role again for the next edition in Spain in 2023, Matthew replied: “Nope. That’s over to someone else.
