The Solheim Cup had everything, drama, controversy, fantastic golf and a wonderful venue and it all came down to the last few singles matches to decide the destination of the trophy.
In the end Team Europe won by a 15-13 margin and it was a testament to the hard work of captain Catriona Matthew that this was only the second time Europe have won the trophy on US soil, with Matthew also involved as a player that first time in Colorado in 2013.
When asked how she did it, well the Scot was understated as usual;
“Just an amazing team actually. They came out here and performed. We got off to a great start this morning winning the first kind of five or six people coming in winning some of their games. I’m kind of lost for words actually at the moment.
“I think it’s even sweeter as a captain. It’s certainly more nerve-racking watching. It’s all down to the team really, it’s if they play well, so all hats off to them.”
Having been the team captain at Gleneagles last time around Matthew was asked if it feels the same to win it again?
“It certainly does,” she said. “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.
“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 staff. We’ve been one big team, and we’ve loved every moment of it.”
Of course European teams are renowned for being more than just the sum of their parts and the team spirit that they show really comes through in events like the Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup and this time was no different for Matthew’s charges.
“I think we were a team of 12. They all contributed. We couldn’t have done it — one person doesn’t win it, we needed all 12 of them, so just congratulations to the whole team.
The big question on everyone’s lips was, will Matthew go for three-in-a-row? And it got a resounding response from the captain;
“Nope. That’s over to someone else.”
OVERALL SCORE – EUROPE 15, USA 13
MONDAY SINGLES RESULTS – EUROPE 7, USA 5
Anna Nordqvist (EUR) tied Lexi Thompson (USA)
Madelene Sagstrom (EUR) def. Ally Ewing (USA), 3 and 2
Leona Maguire (EUR) def. Jennifer Kupcho (USA), 5 and 4
Nelly Korda (USA) def. Georgia Hall (EUR), 1 up
Celine Boutier (EUR) def. Mina Harigae (USA), 5 and 4
Nanna Koerstz Madsen (EUR) tied Austin Ernst (USA)
Matilda Castren (EUR) def. Lizette Salas (USA), 1 up (clinching point)
Brittany Altomare (USA) def. Carlota Ciganda (EUR), 2 and 1
Megan Khang (USA) def. Sophia Popov (EUR), 3 and 2
Yealimi Noh (USA) def. Mel Reid (EUR), 1 up
Jessica Korda (USA) def. Charley Hull (EUR), 3 and 1
Emily K. Pedersen (EUR) def. Danielle Kang (USA), 1 up (winning point)
SUNDAY FOUR-BALL RESULTS – EUROPE 2.5, USA 1.5
Yealimi Noh and Mina Harigae (USA) def. Celine Boutier and Sophia Popov (EUR), 3 and 1
Carlota Ciganda and Nanna Koerstz Madsen (EUR) def. Jessica Korda and Megan Khang (USA), 1 up
Mel Reid and Leona Maguire (EUR) tied Jennifer Kupcho and Lizette Salas (USA)
Charley Hull and Emily K. Pedersen (EUR) def. Danielle Kang and Austin Ernst (USA), 4 and 2
SUNDAY FOURSOMES RESULTS – EUROPE 1, USA 3
Danielle Kang and Austin Ernst (USA) def. Georgia Hall and Madelene Sagstrom (EUR), 1 up
Lexi Thompson and Brittany Altomare (USA) def. Charley Hull and Emily K. Pedersen (EUR), 2 and 1
Mel Reid and Leona Maguire (EUR) def. Nelly Korda and Ally Ewing (USA), 5 and 4
Lizette Salas and Jennifer Kupcho (USA) def. Anna Nordqvist and Matilda Castren (EUR), 3 and 1
SATURDAY FOUR-BALL RESULTS – EUROPE 2, USA 2
Nelly Korda and Ally Ewing (USA) def. Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Madelene Sagstrom (EUR), 1 up
Jennifer Kupcho and Lizette Salas (USA) def. Carlota Ciganda and Sophia Popov (EUR), 1 up
Anna Nordqvist and Matilda Castren (EUR) def. Lexi Thompson and Mina Harigae (USA), 4 and 3
Georgia Hall and Leona Maguire (EUR) def. Yealimi Noh and Brittany Altomare (USA), 1 up
SATURDAY FOURSOMES RESULTS – EUROPE 3.5, USA .5
Matilda Castren and Anna Nordqvist (EUR) def. Austin Ernst and Danielle Kang (USA), 1 up
Celine Boutier and Georgia Hall (EUR) tied Ally Ewing and Megan Khang (USA)
Leona Maguire and Mel Reid (EUR) def. Nelly Korda and Jessica Korda (USA), 1 up
Charley Hull and Emily K. Pedersen (EUR) def. Brittany Altomare and Lexi Thompson (USA), 1 up
FINAL PLAYER RECORDS
| Team USA | Team Europe | |||||
| Player | 2021 | All-Time | Player | 2021 | All-Time | |
| Brittany Altomare | 2-2-0 | 4-3-1 | Celine Boutier | 1-1-1 | 5-1-1 | |
| Austin Ernst | 1-2-1 | 3-4-1 | Matilda Castren | 3-1-0 | 3-1-0 | |
| Ally Ewing | 1-2-1 | 2-5-1 | Carlota Ciganda | 1-2-0 | 7-8-4 | |
| Mina Harigae | 1-2-0 | 1-2-0 | Georgia Hall | 2-2-0 | 8-5-0 | |
| Danielle Kang | 1-3-0 | 5-7-0 | Charley Hull | 2-2-0 | 11-5-3 | |
| Megan Khang | 1-1-1 | 1-3-2 | Nanna Koerstz Madsen | 1-1-1 | 1-1-1 | |
| Jessica Korda | 1-2-0 | 5-4-2 | Leona Maguire | 4-0-1 | 4-0-1 | |
| Nelly Korda | 2-2-0 | 5-2-1 | Anna Nordqvist | 2-1-1 | 14-10-3 | |
| Jennifer Kupcho | 2-1-1 | 2-1-1 | Emily K. Pedersen | 3-1-0 | 3-4-0 | |
| Yealimi Noh | 2-1-0 | 2-1-0 | Sophia Popov | 0-3-0 | 0-3-0 | |
| Lizette Salas | 1-2-1 | 7-8-3 | Mel Reid | 2-1-1 | 6-7-3 | |
| Lexi Thompson | 1-2-1 | 6-6-7 | Madelene Sagstrom | 1-2-0 | 2-4-0 | |
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