SOLHEIM CUP

September 5, 2021

Mel Reid

Leona Maguire

Inverness Club

Team Europe

Quick Quotes

Q. I'm sure your heart is still pumping, but just describe how you feel right now.

MEL REID: Listen, I didn't play great today. I had a bit of an issue with my neck, which is no excuse to be honest with you.

But I mean, I've got to give full credit again to Leona. She played very, very solid. I just kind of -- I'm just glad that I pulled off a really good shot on 18.

Those girls were relentless. Jennifer chipped in, she holed some great putts; Lizette holed some great putts. They're going to be tough to beat, but overall we're very, very happy.

Q. I'm sure you like her a little bit more now than you did this morning.

MEL REID: Don't know.

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah. Lovely, yeah.

MEL REID: Oh, there you go.

Q. How did it feel when they were fairly relentless and so many putts holed? They were really going at you girls with everything they had. How did that feel mentally as the game progressed?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, I think we were prepared for that. That's what Lizette does week in and week out, as does Jennifer. Again, with the world class opposition we were up against we knew we were going to have to play some really good golf to come away with any sort of points.

Holed some putts at the right time to sort of answer them back, which was nice, and yeah, that halve almost feels like a win right now.

Q. That shot on 18, sensational. Were you aware that you wanted to go into the singles leading in points overall, or were you really not taking notice of the leaderboard and just focusing on trying to get a halve?

MEL REID: I think it's difficult to not look at leaderboards. It was very red there for a minute, so to turn it around and have the afternoon that we did, have a two-point lead is an incredible result for us. They came out firing this morning. They were obviously very pumped up from that.

The crowd were getting behind them, heckling us a little bit. Whatever, some of it was funny, some of it wasn't. Whenever they came up with more original stuff. But obviously to go in with a two-point lead is huge. Getting that halve was huge.

Q. This had to feel like a win at the end, right?

MEL REID: A hundred percent. We were down, which we've not been used to, most of the match. Lizette played great; Jen just produces magic whenever she played. That chip on 17, I can't tell you how difficult that was.

Yeah, Leona again played awesome. I'm just so impressed with this girl. She's starting to like me a little bit, I keep saying that. She keeps saying no, but whatever. Yeah, just super impressed with her. I didn't have my best stuff today, but to pull off that shot on 18, I feel like I contributed, and seeing --

Q. Tell me about that last shot.

MEL REID: It was 136; it was probably playing 10 into; I hit a three-quarter 8. I knew as soon as I hit it it was either going to be a little bit left and short or it was going to be good, so I was hoping for the good, and I almost willed that ball into the hole.

Q. Leona, your sister just said that the whole world is now seeing what she's known and those that follow amateur golf have known for a long time. Do you feel like this was kind of -- you were ready for this moment from the beginning or are you learning something about yourself here?

LEONA MAGUIRE: No, I mean, you never know how you're going to react in these situations until you're put in them. This is what you practice for. This is what you prepare for. I love team golf. I love match play.

It kind of felt like being in college a little bit. That's obviously where I tried a few years ago. I've had fantastic partners that have made me feel so comfortable out there and just sort of tried to dovetail off them, ride the momentum and hole a few putts when I could.

Q. Did Catriona ask you where you'd like to be in the singles lineup? Do you have a preference?

MEL REID: No idea. No. I'm going out 13th, I think.

Q. And you're going to play in every match, the only player to play in every match. Were you surprised by that, and are you tired?

LEONA MAGUIRE: A little surprised, I guess, but I've been playing well. That's what the captain wanted me to do, so here to win every single point I can for the team, and yeah, one more day to try and do that again tomorrow.

Q. Earlier this morning there was a big shift in momentum; what were you feeling throughout the course of the day? It seemed to be all blue at the very, very beginning. Just take me through the momentum shifts of the day.

MEL REID: We knew the Americans would come out fighting. They played great this morning. It was great that we played great, and nice to finish that match off. These players are just so good. You really can't give them anything.

The same for this afternoon. Like Lizette and Jennifer, they both are fantastic players, obviously, world-class players. They played a perfect four-ball today. If one was out, one was almost making birdie or making birdie. They kind of played the perfect four-ball.

Yeah, I mean, listen, the momentum has gone back and forth. That's what a Solheim Cup is. That was a huge halve point for us. That makes it a very nice afternoon for us and a nice little two-point leads going into Sunday.

Q. How is your neck?

MEL REID: Yeah, I've got a bit of a twitch in my neck. It actually happened at lunch, I don't know. It must have been in the spring roll or something. The Americans have put something in our food, I think.

The tiramisu is keeping us up at night and the spring rolls are giving us a bad necks. They must be putting something in there. It's fine. I'll just need a bit of treatment on it tonight. It's just being 33 and getting old.