SOLHEIM CUP

September 4, 2021

Mel Reid

Leona Maguire

Inverness Club

Team Europe

Quick Quotes

Q. You're playing with a bit of a legend, Mel Reid. How was it for you?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, I couldn't have asked for a better start to my Solheim career. Very lucky to have Mel alongside me. I think everybody had written us off today, and we just sort of took that in our stride and wanted to be as relentless and fearless as possible, and I feel like we did that.

Q. Mel, that's kind of their strongest team. Did you feel like you had been written off?

MEL REID: Obviously it was their strongest pairing. They're good friends of mine. Obviously not this week, but they're just really nice girls to play against as well, and full credit to them on home soil. It is tough for them; they're expected to win.

And honestly I could not be more impressed with this girl here. I said to her, we hadn't really spoken before this week, that's kind of what Solheim is about. I said, Listen, if you start booking practice rounds with me after this I've done my job. She says, Maybe, maybe not.

This girl honestly, she's some player, and just really, really proud of the way she handled herself and she's a very, very impressive girl, so it was an honor honestly to play with her in the first match.

Q. You've got a tremendous team this week, 1 through 12 is absolutely superb. Everybody is going to have to sit one out. That would be quite nice for you, wouldn't it? Make a change?

MEL REID: Yeah, it would make a change. Yeah, so we're happy. Honestly if I was to write the 12 players I want on this team these are the 12.

Obviously the British Open we some really strong finishes there. Just could not be happier. The team atmosphere is great. Obviously we have got a fantastic captain in Beanie, and, yeah, we got off to a solid start.

So we're happy. We're going to keep on -- obviously we're going to have to play great against these girls, they're fantastic players on the U.S. Team, so we're not going to give anything to them and obviously try our best, but really great start for us.

Q. We heard a little bit from Leona, but what was it like to lead the entire match and not give up anything to the Americans there?

MEL REID: I mean, listen, the Kordas obviously know each other's games well. They're really good mates and sisters obviously. Listen, they're probably one of the strongest pairings. We knew we were going to have to play well.

I think we were 1- or 2-under in foursomes format and, and I am just really impressed with Leona honestly, that we didn't know each other during the week. I think she's starting to like me, which is obviously very good.

Feel a bit comfortable with me, I could not have been more impressed. I mean, she is some player, and for her first Solheim Cup just really, really impressive honestly. Really it was a true honor to really play our first match with her.

Q. To be able to get 2-up there on that front nine, what did it mean to you guys making the turn and how comfortable were you feeling out there?

MEL REID: Honestly we should have -- it's obviously hindsight, but we could have easily been 5-up going through kind of the 11th tee. I think the 11th was a turning point. I hit a great chip there; Leona hit a fantastic bunker shot on 12. It wasn't ideal; I put her there.

I just said to her, Listen, let's just keep making pars. If they make birdies, then whatever. We're going to have a few chances. So yeah, and we just -- that's what we did. We just didn't really make many mistakes. That's hard to play against in foursomes.

Q. A lot of the times both of you going back and forth on the greens kind of reading each other's putt, what did that mean towards the end as the Kordas seemed to be inching closer?

MEL REID: Leona is one of the best green readers I've ever seen, so I was like, Listen, mate, you come in, because I'm a bit of a streaky putter and it just gives me a little bit of confidence when she's reading them.

I probably overread them a little bit, if I'm honest. I just felt like I didn't really hole anything, but these greens are so hard to read. You've got double breakers everywhere. They're really, really quick downhill, a little bit slow uphill. They're pure as hell, but they're very difficult to read, so it was nice to have that as an asset from her.