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SOLHEIM CUP

September 13, 2019

Catriona Matthew

Gleneagles, Scotland, United Kingdom

THE MODERATOR: I'm delighted to introduce Solheim Cup Europe captain Catriona Matthew. Great start this morning -- two and a half, one and a half in the foursomes and then obviously 2-2 in the four-ball this afternoon. Your assessment of the day overall?

CATRIONA MATTHEW: Obviously we got off to a great start in the foursomes, as you say, winning it two and a half, 1 and a half. Our objective is to try to win every session.

2-2 in the afternoon, you could say -- well, I suppose, Carlota and Bronte were 2 down with four to go, so standing on the 15th tee you'd taken a half.

And obviously Charley and Azahara, a little disappointing obviously, but the Americans threw two good birdies at them on the last two holes. It's not like they lost it; the Americans birdied.

So, I think if we had started today we would have taken a lead. So we're pleased.

THE MODERATOR: Talk about Anne's debut -- van Dam and Suzann, obviously a great afternoon for them.

CATRIONA MATTHEW: Yes, that partnership worked well. Suzann made a lot of nice pars and just freed up Anne to make birdies, which I think is great fourball play. It doesn't necessarily have to be both of you making birdies; sometimes the person making the pars is just as important, which then frees up the ones who make the birdies.

So, Anne, obviously delighted with her play, and pleased to get a point on the board.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Catriona, is it slightly strange for you to have the lead but maybe not the momentum after that finish? It was a slightly odd finish or a dramatic finish but not what you were looking for?
CATRIONA MATTHEW: Obviously, yeah, I'd be lying if I said obviously it wasn't what we were looking for. But I think you have to take the positives and we're leading. We're a point up. If we're leading at the end of each day, that would be great.

So I think obviously everyone's a little disappointed by that, but Charley had a great putt in the last, just a little firm.

Brittany holed up and made a great birdie. It's not as if they lost it with bad play; the others birdied it. We're pleased with going in with a one-point lead.

Q. Pace of play came up a lot today. How did you feel about the pace of play?
CATRIONA MATTHEW: Obviously that back nine this afternoon did get pretty slow. I don't really know what caused it. When you're jumping around not following just one game it's difficult to tell.

But some of the players on both sides do take quite a while to hit a shot. But it's the officials really. They're the ones who police the pace of play, so it's really up to them, I think.

Q. To follow up, in terms of the officials, is that something you want to speak to your own players about tonight? Just obviously you don't want to be losing holes to penalties. Is that something you're going to address?
CATRIONA MATTHEW: I think every week the players are aware of the pace of play policies. I mean, no one wants to see slow play. Obviously with the bigger crowds it's more difficult sometimes, but ideally it would be nice to be faster tomorrow.

Q. Are you worried at all over the big loss from Anna and Caroline today? How they were going to come back from that?
CATRIONA MATTHEW: I think in fourballs sometimes that happens. I mean I think Angel -- who was she playing, Angel and Brittany -- Ally McDonald, they birdied I think the first three holes or three of the first five. So they played well.

And then maybe Anna and -- they played well and sometimes it's tough to get back into it if you're four or five down. One of these things that happens sometimes in match play. Everyone's been beaten by a lot and on the other hand they've all won games by a lot. I wouldn't worry too much about it at this point.

Q. I'm not sure how much you can tell us at this stage what your pairings are for tomorrow, but can you talk about what you're thinking going forward now about pairings?
CATRIONA MATTHEW: I think obviously tomorrow it's probably a little bit more difficult. Today we had them in mind. Perhaps not everyone's going to play tomorrow. I think obviously it's nice to keep some winning partnerships together. We'll probably change up a few.

And with just eight playing out of 12 each session, you have to look at how people have played and what the results have been. And you're going to pick the team that we think is the best to go out and win it.

Q. Catriona, can you talk a little bit about Bronte Law, really feisty performances today, along with Carlota? Can you talk a little bit about how pleased you are with how Bronte, in particular, took to the stage today?
CATRIONA MATTHEW: Yeah, I thought that was a great partnership, actually. They're both very similar personalities. They were keen to play together. And I think obviously they went out there and played well up against two strong American pairings, as I said, probably the two strongest American pairings they played against.

I think -- I was pleased with how they played together and how they gelled together, and probably wouldn't be surprised if we see them playing again.

Q. Can you give us an update on Jodi? Obviously sat out this afternoon. Was it fitness related, was it preplanned? And how is her fitness going into the weekend?
CATRIONA MATTHEW: It wasn't fitness related at all. We wanted to play everyone the first day. That was just the way the pairings came out. Obviously she didn't play. She'll be disappointed probably with how she played.

Foursomes can be a tricky game at times, especially I think on this course because sometimes you may be just hitting all the putts, you're not getting many shots, so it's tough to get in any flow when you start poorly, which they did a little bit.

Disappointed for Jodi and I'm sure she'll probably be a bit disappointed as well. But, no, health-wise, she's absolutely perfect.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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