SOLHEIM CUP

September 1, 2021

Anna Nordqvist

Madelene Sagstrom

Matilda Castren

Inverness Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with questions for the players. You've been here for a few days now. How have you found the first few days with Team Europe in 2021 Solheim Cup?

MATILDA CASTREN: It's been a very good start. The team atmosphere is awesome. We have a really solid group of girls and guys, so it's a lot of fun so far. We have been able to see the course and just hang out kind of getting ready, so it's been a good start.

MADELENE SAGSTROM: The course is looking really good. It's in good condition. We have had a couple practice rounds in already and tried out some pairings this morning and everything seems great so far.

THE MODERATOR: Anna, you know what it's like to win on U.S. soil. Talk me through some of the memories from 2013 and specifically the hole-in-one that you had.

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, 2013 Colorado was obviously a really memorable one from, for Europe, winning on U.S. soil for the first time. It was nice and quiet that week, especially at the end when we were winning. So a few of us girls on the team were there and I think the girls that weren't there, they're very motivated to try to do the same thing this week. I feel like we have a good team.

And I think you're referring to my hole-in-one in 2013 there. Yeah, me and Caroline Hedwall just birdied 16 to go 1 up against Morgan Pressel and Jessica Korda and I holed out 17 in front of a lot of people. So it was quite a really cool end to the match.

THE MODERATOR: Matilda, you've had quite the 2021, winning on the LPGA and the LET. How have you found your first few days in Team Europe colors? What's it been like for you?

MATILDA CASTREN: I love playing for Europe. I love representing European and wearing the colors. And most of the girls here I knew from before and the ones I didn't, I've become friends with and everyone's super nice to me and very welcoming. And the more seasoned players are giving me advice and they're there for me to help me with anything I need. So I feel a little more comfortable every day and that's all I can ask for and, to be ready on Saturday.

Q. Madelene, this is your second appearance after 2017. What's it like to be back on the team? You've had such a good run of form recently coming in.

MADELENE SAGSTROM: I think that first one under your belt is always nice because you're going to be nervous. It's a big week. It's big for everybody who is here. It's big for yourself, kind of getting into a Solheim Cup representing Europe, so it's, I feel a little more calm this time. I feel like I belong here. I feel like I've done the job to get to this point, so I'm really excited where my game is at and I'm excited for the week to kind of keep going and starting off, but I think we have a really solid group of girls.

Q. How much advice have you given rookies like Matilda this week? Are you taking one more of a leadership role here at Inverness?

ANNA NORDQVIST: It makes me feel really old knowing that this is my seventh one, but obviously, I'm quite proud of that accomplishment. We're all going to be rookies at some point. I remember when I was in 2009 and I was scared because I was playing with Laura Davies and Suzann Pettersen, Helen Alfredsson, like, all the players that I had basically grew up watching.

So I think our rookies this year, they're very experienced. They've played great. They've won on tour and they don't really need much support. But it is, I think it's just realizing how much things there is around, like with the dinner, with the photography session, the media, the opening ceremony. Like, there's just really long days leading up to the event and I think for your first one, I think you'll be surprised how much there really is.

But they're such great golfers, they really don't need much help, but I think just learning what to expect and maybe just a friendly reminder to pace them self this week because it's going to be really long. It's Wednesday today and we're not starting until Saturday. So it's just such a really cool atmosphere. So I think everyone is running high on adrenaline on a week like this.

THE MODERATOR: What have you made of Inverness Club out in the practice rounds that you've had so far?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: I was here when I played the Drive On event last year, so I got a nice taste of it then, and I think they have done a phenomenal job. It's, I mean, everybody knows this is a great golf course in general. The conditions are awesome. I think the setup can be really fun and I think they can make some good holes out of it for match play.

So I'm really looking forward to what they're going to do and for what formats and stuff like that. So it's, you couldn't ask for a better venue for a Solheim Cup. I think this is brilliant. The fans are already out there. They have been great and so it's a lot of fun.

THE MODERATOR: Matilda?

MATILDA CASTREN: It's a great golf course. I enjoy playing it. I was here last year as well and it was a great test of golf for us and it will be again this year. And like Madeline said, I'm excited to see how they set it up for match play this week.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Matilda, are you prepared for what is going to happen on the first day with the fans? And how are you trying to get yourself mentally in that place?

MATILDA CASTREN: I'm not sure anyone can fully be prepared for what's going to happen on the first tee and what the feeling is like and all the butterflies in your stomach, but I've been in some pressure situations before and I'm just trying to think back at those moments and talk to the other girls and talk to our captains and vice captains and just ask for any advice they can give me.

But all I can control is my own game and my own thoughts and just try to be the best player I can.

Q. Anna, when I spoke to Mel on Monday she was talking about how she and you were probably going to just sort of naturally be the leaders having played in the most of these. What do you think your role is now on this team?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah. I mean, Mel and I, we have played on quite a few teams together. We grew up playing as amateurs together and we were on the Junior Solheim Cup together, I think it was in 2005. So I wouldn't say, like, maybe wanting to take a leader role. I think we have a great group of leaders in Beany and Suzann Pettersen, Kathryn Imrie, and Laura Davies. I think that's where a lot of the experience is.

I think we can just maybe be a little bit of a helping hand or just maybe just calm down some nerves or just maybe talk through a little bit what the expectations are just because we have been there.

The first tee experience, you cannot take, you cannot explain that into words. I think it's probably the coolest experience in the game of golf and it just needs to be experienced. Everyone is nervous. That's just the way it is. And if you can embrace it and, but I feel like the team is so, has so much experience. I mean, Matilda has won on tour this year and that's such a hard accomplishment. So everyone's doing great, so maybe me and Mel we're the oldest ones, but everyone's doing great on their own.

Q. How your celebration went on Sunday night after Carnoustie with Kevin and his family.

ANNA NORDQVIST: You have nothing to worry about. I got the trophy home safely to the U.S. I had to leave the house at 4 a.m. to catch my flight. I didn't have much to drink, but I was like exhausted because I forgot my computer in security and I didn't realize until I got to London. So we had a great dinner, just seeing friends and family, and I was excited to get back to the U.S. after 10 weeks on the road.

Q. Is Kevin with you this week?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Kevin will be here for the weekend.

Q. Obviously a different scenario from the match in Des Moines when he was caddieing for Lexi. I'm not sure how much nicer the arrangement sort of is this week?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Obviously having to play him in the singles wasn't my favorite moment. But I think at the time that match was probably the best thing that could have happened to him and to me and for him to keep his job and for him to keep his girlfriend at the time. It's a lot easier when I don't have to play against him.

Q. How do you feel? Do you feel your stature's grown now as a major champion again?

ANNA NORDQVIST: No. That's not really important to me. Like, I feel like I love competing and majors are amazing and it's a great accomplishment. I'm always going to be proud for it. I feel like I'm just going to keep pushing trying to get better and that's my focus every day.

Q. You guys compete against them week-in and week-out. Just out of curiosity in sizing up the two teams do you guys in your estimation believe that you guys are the favorites, underdogs, or do you think it's completely neutral?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: I think that playing U.S. on U.S. soil is always hard. We know we're not going to have the fans on our side this week. I think that both teams have a really strong golfers and we all know how golf works. You never know what kind of week you're going to have.

But I think from the perspective of the fans and where we are, I think we're more of that, maybe that underdog playing on U.S. soil. But we already are talking about it, we know what to expect and that we're going to give them something to be quiet for, that's for sure.

Q. Matilda, can you share what the best advice is you've received so far about this first Solheim Cup experience?

MATILDA CASTREN: Well, I think it was Anna, you shared a couple things from the past Solheim Cups you've played, and you mentioned something about the momentum and how the first few holes are so important. I think that was a really good note and it's just kind of something that makes you think you never give up and momentum is so important.

I'm not going to reveal everything, but she shared some good advice last night. We had a little team meeting. And, yeah, I also got some advice from the captains about on the first tee moment that everyone's going to be nervous. I was just focusing on myself being nervous and thinking, oh, all these people. I'm going to be so nervous. But just like everyone's is saying, everyone else is going to be nervous as well and everyone's going to be dealing with those emotions and those things, so I think that's the best advice I've gotten.

Q. Can you share what part of the experience you're most anxious about and then what part you're most looking forward to?

MATILDA CASTREN: I'm looking forward to competing. I love match play and I love playing the team games. So obviously I'm not sure what the pairings are going to be, but I hope I'm going to play in the team events. I really enjoy those.

But I think most anxious is probably the first tee moment. I'm not going to lie. I think it's going to be something that I'm never going to forget, something that I'm always going to want to come back to and experience again. So I'm also kind of looking forward to that, just seeing what it's going to be like feeling those emotions and that adrenaline. So I'm nervous but excited about that.

Q. Matilda, Mel mentioned it was a priority for her to introduce herself to you and give you some advice. Was there anything in particular from Mel that she shared that's helped you be more confident?

MATILDA CASTREN: I played with Mel today and, I mean, we were just chatting and getting to know each other and she just told me she's here for me, whatever I need, and if there's any help she can give me, just to ask her. And that's kind of where we have gotten at this point.

Q. Anna, you talked about in 2013 when you were able to kind of quiet the crowd and how exciting that was. Can you talk about the difference between when you're the away team and you have people pulling for the other team as opposed to when you're the home team and everybody's pulling for you, kind of motivation and what it's like internally?

ANNA NORDQVIST: I feel like most times when we're on the U.S. soil we at least have our families here, maybe some close friends, maybe some very supportive supporters from Europe, but that will be different this year because the Europeans are still not allowed coming to the U.S. and haven't been since March of last year.

So it's unfortunate that none of our families are here to share this experience. Solheim Cup is a very big moment for me and my family. They come and dress up and it's one of few tournaments they're all able to come to. So that will be hard for all of us and especially from, maybe those who can't share this first time experience with their families or their close friends that really want to be here.

Usually I feel like we have probably a little bit more support on U.S. soil. And I think this year we're just going to have to accept the fact that, I don't know, we don't know if there's going to be any fans other than some significant others out there for us. But we got each other and I think that's the most important.

It's just nice to have crowds back. It was nice to see at the British Open. It just creates another atmosphere. And even though probably most of the crowds are all our American friends, they will cheer a little bit, but they can't wear the yellow and blue colors. So I think it's just going to be a very different year. But we love playing in Europe, love playing in the atmosphere, but also knowing, like, beating a team on their home soil is probably the biggest motivator because it just feels so special. So hopefully the crowds, we're able to quiet them down this week because that means we're doing pretty good.

Q. Matilda, back in 2018 you had some struggles. How did fighting from that get you to become the player that you are today?

MATILDA CASTREN: Well, it was a couple pretty rough years. Like you said, I struggled a lot after graduating from college and turning pro. But I always knew what kind of golfer was in me and that kind of kept me going, kept me fighting and wanting to reach my goals and my dreams and getting my card in 2019 Q-School for being a 2020 rookie.

Honestly, I thought last year was the best thing that could have happened to me and my career, having kind of that gap year to just experience what tour life was like and didn't have to stress about keeping my card and it just kind of showed me that I can compete with the highest level and the best players in the world. So that really helped me a lot as well.

And, honestly, everything has happened really quickly this year. I wasn't really expecting to win so early in my career, but I kind of always knew it was in me. I knew it was going to happen at some point. And after my win, everything has just happened so quickly and it's more than I could have dreamed of in the beginning of this year. And I think those hard moments that, I think everyone goes through them at some point in their careers, but those really help you put things into perspective and just make you stronger and more grateful of those good moments that you get and help you enjoy golf when it's going great.

Q. And you mentioned exceeding expectations. Was there ever a moment this year where you thought, Oh, yeah, I'm going to be on the Solheim Cup team?

MATILDA CASTREN: It wasn't really one of my goals because I wasn't really a member of the LET. I didn't think about it too much. Someone mentioned to me after winning at Lake Merced and I said, Well, if it happens, it happens, but I didn't really think more about it.

And we had a home tournament this year in Finland and it became a big opportunity for me and I figured, well, I need to go and play to give myself a chance to achieve this long-time dream and goal of mine. And I still wasn't really, I mean, I went and I of course tried to win, but I wasn't going in thinking, I'm going to win this week. I just knew I had a chance of four tournaments, really, for dual sanctioned events and I just wanted to give myself a chance and see what happens and I knew I was playing great for a few weeks before that and if I played my best, I could win and I just kind of let it happen. And when it did, I mean it was an incredible feeling to have pulled it off and, yeah, it may not be my biggest win, but I think it's one of my greatest accomplishments.

Q. You other two are a little older, can you tell her what a big deal that was going over and winning in Finland?

MATILDA CASTREN: Yeah, I thought it was crazy, like I wasn't expecting it at all, I knew I had to win, but going there -- and I wasn't really looking at the scores after two days and on the third round I knew I was kind of close to the lead, but I didn't know by how many shots or who was behind me or anything. So I was just trying to play my game and there were a lot of people watching because I was in my home country and the crowds were just going crazy and I still wasn't sure until like the last putt. I had a long putt for birdie and I asked my caddie, Are we close to the lead or do I need to make this putt? And he's like, Well, I can't really see the scoreboard, but I think we're leading by two. I was like, Okay. (Laughing).

I made par on that hole and just it was just a really cool moment having all my family and some friends there and a lot of my relatives that I hadn't seen in a couple years, because I was living in the States, all my coaches were there, I mean all the crowds were pulling for me, so it was just a really special feeling doing that at home and knowing what that meant and what was coming because of that. It was really special.

Q. Could each of you share what it's like having Suzann Pettersen back working with the team and what she brings to the team as an assistant captain?

MADELENE SAGSTROM: I'll start. I've always looked up to Suzann, slightly intimidated by her when she played, but I was fortunate enough to be on the same team as her in Des Moines even though she took a captain's role then. But I think she, the biggest thing she brings is that confidence in us really. She really believes in us and she's just wants to be there for the team and she loves this. Like she couldn't hold herself today, she was chipping on the first green, like she loves this place she loves Solheim Cup and she loves the team spirit of everything. So it's a bit of that push to wanting to do as well as you can, but at the same time it's that comfort that we are here for a reason, we are here because they believe in us.

MATILDA CASTREN: It was my first time meeting Suzann this and she's one of the players that I grew up watching, so it's so cool to me that she's here and just being around her and knowing what she did at the last Solheim Cup it's just, it's just so cool. There's a big photo of it in our locker room and walking past it every day I just look at it and I'm like, Wow, that's so cool and I hope that I can be there one day making that winning putt. But she brings a great energy to the group, she's a very strong player herself and she brings that confidence in us and you can tell she really believes in us and she believes in this team and, yeah, I think for a rookie like me she's really looking at her, I can tell that she's so confident and that kind of feeds off to me, so it helps having her here, we love having her here.

ANNA NORDQVIST: I think Suzann Pettersen will always be going down as one of the greatest competitors and players in the women's game. I miss her on tour, she's a good friend of mine, I miss her, I actually cried last Solheim Cup, the last like that night because I knew she was done. It was nice to see her made a push, knowing how much Solheim Cup meant to her, and for her to make that final putt last time around she just has I feel like she has so much to bring to the team, most of us either played with her or grew up watching her as a good role model for European golf and it's just nice to see her around again. I mean, we're not living in Norway, we don't really get to see her that much so she just brings a lot of passion and once the tournament starts she will be right there with us every step of the way.