SOLHEIM CUP

September 6, 2021

Pat Hurst

Stacy Lewis

Yealimi Noh

Brittany Altomare

Inverness Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We're here with representatives from Team USA. Happy to be joined by Captain Pat Hurst, Assistant Captain Stacy Lewis and then Brittany Altomare and Yealimi Noh who both had big singles wins today.

Pat, it wasn't the outcome you would have liked, but as I just said, this was a week where you got to know and got to love these girls. What's your big takeaway here from this week at Inverness?

PAT HURST: We had a great time. The year and a half of getting together -- Yealimi didn't get together with us for most of it just because she played well the last two months, but overall the hard work that everyone put into it and the bonding was a lot of fun.

Team Europe played great, and someone has to lose, which is not fun, but it's just the way it is, and I think women's golf definitely was the big winner along with Team Europe.

THE MODERATOR: Yealimi, overall what was the experience like, a rookie year here? You didn't play like a rookie; you played well. That was quite a match you had there against Mel today. Tell me about your overall takeaways.

YEALIMI NOH: Yeah, it's just been an incredible week overall with the crowds and just the team and all the bonding and the amazing captains, and I'm so happy to be a part of this team last minute, but so happy I was on it.

It's just been so amazing that I keep wanting to play. I hope I play in a couple more Solheim Cups in my career.

Yeah, just overall a great experience.

THE MODERATOR: Brittany, you said you had to flip your match, you had to get that blue over to red, and you did it with a couple of monster putts there on 13 and 14. Tell us what was going through your mind as you started coming down the stretch. You're pretty stoic out there. When we saw that double fist pump on 14 that got us riled up in here.

BRITTANY ALTOMARE: Thanks, yeah. I missed two short putts, one on the front and I think one on the back, and I was just really mad. Like I knew I was better than that, and I knew I was due for a couple putts to go in.

I had a pretty decent putt on 13, and on 14 -- Carlota is just -- she's been in so many of them, so I knew I had to do something.

I couldn't just stand there and try and wait for her to take a mistake, so I just needed to turn it around.

THE MODERATOR: Stacy, this is home for you, so glad to see this come together. Overall what do you have to say about your team, your captain and everyone here for USA?

STACY LEWIS: Well, I first have to say the city of Toledo killed it. The fans were unbelievable. I wish we could have given them a little bit more to cheer about today and kind of help get the momentum in our favor. But the fans killed it this week.

That's first.

You know, it's been so much fun learning from Pat and trying to help her with pairings, because it's a hard deal. She's got a couple -- year and a half or so to prepare, and then all of a sudden in an hour you've got to figure out what you're doing.

It's just been really cool to work with her, and just glad I got the opportunity. The girls played their heart out. They just -- those matches were so close. So many matches went to 18. It was a putt or two here or there, because we had a chance for a long time today.

And just proud of these guys at the end that went out there that kind of flipped their matches and got their points.

Q. Stacy and Pat, 16 of the 28 matches went all the way to 18. In all of your experience have you ever seen anything like that? And what does that say about the parity between the two sides now?

PAT HURST: Yeah, it's definitely telling you that the teams are getting much closer and the competition is getting closer. I mean, going down 18, again, the first day, the first four matches went to 18, and you said how many went to 18?

Q. 16.

PAT HURST: That's just unbelievable. I don't think anyone would have thought that considering we switched the nines because we didn't -- we thought their 18th hole wasn't going to get used that much, but it sure did this week.

STACY LEWIS: Yeah, last year obviously was probably even closer than that one, and I feel like last year a lot of matches went to 18.

It's probably one of the best European teams I think I've seen. They're just really, really a lot of great putters -- not good putters, great putters -- and when it's tight like that, it's a putt or two here and there.

Q. For Pat, will you go back and dissect this thing, and will you let your mind go there about second-guessing and things like that? Are there any decisions you would second-guess or anything like that?

PAT HURST: There's nothing we can do. They all played well. Team Europe played just a little bit better than us, and that's how it became 15-13.

So no, I'm not going to go backwards. I don't go backwards. I just want to move forward. I had a great time. I feel like last night was a lot of fun, and the bonding just got that much stronger last night.

No, I'm moving forward.

Q. And then Stacy, I know how much this week meant to you and how much you put into it at the front end of this thing. To see what Toledo did and how this turned out, what did that mean to you?

STACY LEWIS: Oh, it was awesome. Obviously we've been playing in Toledo for a long time with the Marathon Classic and Jamie Farr and all of that, but this was a whole 'nother level. I mean, there were so many people out there it was hard to get around in a golf cart at times.

It's a great day for women's golf. I mean, that's what it's about. But trust me, we want to win this thing, and we're going to go get it back in Spain.

Q. Did you ever consider deviating from your strategy or getting away from some of the pods when things didn't go your way early in the week?

PAT HURST: What do you think, Stacy? Did I ever want to deviate? No, I had a plan --

STACY LEWIS: I heard that a lot.

PAT HURST: Yeah. No, I had a plan and I stuck to it. I'm pretty consistent. Everyone knew what we were going to do and I wasn't going to go away from that, and I didn't.

Q. Would you like another shot at it the next Solheim Cup?

PAT HURST: Of course I would love another shot at it, but I just don't know if that's going to be possible. But I love this. I love being part of it. Whatever happens happens. I would do this for the rest of my life if I could.

Q. You've seen a lot of players in the Solheim Cup. I'm just curious what you thought of Leona Maguire, who went out and was undefeated, played in all five matches. What impressed you about her play?

PAT HURST: She's good. She's going to be around for a long time. She's the one we're going to have to fear, like I said, for a long time. She played at Duke and she was good there, and I think this is only going to elevate her game even that much more.

Q. Just the overall atmosphere of the week, could you speak to how this event has grown in your time on the LPGA?

PAT HURST: Yeah, you know, I played in '98 at Muirfield Village my first Solheim Cup and I thought that was pretty huge, but you know what, I think we broke every record this week, starting from the practice rounds.

That tells you where golf is at, and I think women's golf is elevating and that's helping us a lot. The players are getting better, the golf is getting better. It's just a lot of fun to be out here and to watch good golf.

Q. Inverness has been a course that's hosted a lot of major championships. What was the course like for you ladies this week? Is this something that the women want to test themselves coming up in the future?

BRITTANY ALTOMARE: Yeah, I mean, the golf course is in great shape. It's a great test of golf. It's hard. You can't really make a lot of -- you have to hit fairways, and they made the greens firm and fast.

It rewarded good shots. If you didn't, you got penalized. I think that's what a major championship golf course does, and I think it showed that this week.

YEALIMI NOH: Yeah, I totally agree with what Brittany said. This is probably one of the best courses I've played. When I played in the pro-am for Marathon, I think, it was so memorable, every hole is unique and very challenging, and I think it was a great test for all of us, especially in match play.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you guys so much. We really appreciate your time this week. Enjoy your evening and we'll see you in Spain in two years.