SOLHEIM CUP

September 23, 2023

Leona Maguire

Charley Hull

Finca Cortesin

Team Europe

Quick Quotes

Q. Leona, reflections on that utterly dominant performance.

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, I mean, Nelly and Ally are great players. We knew that from the last time around. I have huge respect for both of them, so we knew we had to bring our A games this afternoon. So, yeah, just played really solid and didn't really give them a chance to fight back at all.

Q. A game, it certainly was. Charley, a word from you. How do you reflect on that performance? You must be pleased to get some more blue on the board.

CHARLEY HULL: Leona played really well. It was nice to be out there with Leona today. We've gotten on really well. Yeah, it's nice to get a point.

Q. It does seem like a great partnership, lots of communication, great energy from start to finish. How important is that kind of camaraderie between the two of you when you're in this style of match play?

CHARLEY HULL: A hundred percent. I'm not really a player that gets the crowds going like this or big fist pumps, neither is Leona, and we kind of just jell and do our own thing and we work well together. Leona made a lot of birdies today and it was great to be paired with her.

Q. Of course being the first out, how conscious were you, Leona, of kind of the groups behind and how they might be feeding off what you were up to being the leading group and securing that first point?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, Suzann was pretty clear of what our job was today, so mission accomplished so far, and we'll go cheer on the rest of the girls and hopefully they can bring it home.

Q. How is the energy in the tank?

LEONA MAGUIRE: It's fine. When you play well, there's lots of energy. The crowd's been great cheering us on and, yeah, ready for one last go tomorrow.

Q. Charley, tell me about your partner today.

CHARLEY HULL: She played unbelievable. It was great. It was an honor to play with her. We got on really well. She's done herself proud.

Q. You seem like a great partnership, lots of communication out there, you were enjoying each other's company. Leona, what did you tell yourself between rounds today? You didn't have your A game this morning. What happened in between the sessions for you to come out like this in the afternoon?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, I really struggled on the back nine this morning, but I suppose that's match play, that's team golf. You dust yourself off and you go out again.

I think this was a pairing, me and Charley, I've been looking forward to for awhile. We nearly played the Dow earlier in the year, didn't quite with the schedules manage to do that, so it was nice to get out early and perform on the board.

Q. The biggest compliment I can give a player in match play is they are annoying to play. You seem extremely annoying to play because you just think I'm in control of this and then you come back and make something spectacular happen. These matches getting so much closer than how they started out. It looks like they could be dead even going into singles. What are you guys looking forward to tomorrow?

LEONA MAGUIRE: One more day to give it our best shot and I think that's the great thing about this team, there's so much fight in this team. We've never given up. We believe in each other, and hopefully, we can come on strong this afternoon and we'll give it our best go tomorrow.

Q. Brilliant performance. Charley, that's more like the Solheim experience you wanted today, isn't it?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, it was good. Obviously, I sprained my neck earlier in the week, sort of facet sprain, and still hurts a little bit, but it's gotten a lot better. But, yeah, I felt like playing with Leona today, it was great fun. She's kind of just always in the game and making it better, so it was great.

Q. How do you reflect on that after -- I mean, this is your fourth session. I don't know how the energy levels are, but it looked pretty good out there.

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, I think that was something I said to Suzann, I needed someone with energy for this afternoon, and Charley has lots of it. So, yeah, we had a lot of fun, lots of chats, lots of good times with the caddies, and so it was just a really enjoyable walk out there.

Q. How is that relationship between the two of you, because it's a partnership that looked really solid out there and you both looked like you were enjoying it as well?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, I like it, because we're both not really like hyper, how do I explain it, hype-to-the-crowd people, we just kind of go along with our business, not too massive fist pumps and stuff. We make a birdie, yup; we make a bogey, yup, move on to the next hole and forget about it and I feel like we both do that quite well.

Q. First out in the afternoon session as well, how much is that on your mind as how your match can perhaps help those coming in behind you to try and get as much blue on that board as possible?

LEONA MAGUIRE: I think Suzann gave us a job to do and we've done it. So hopefully the girls can get a little bit positivity, feedback to the groups and give them a little bit of energy to finish strong.

Q. Never trailed in this match, getting off to a strong start, 3-up through 7. What was the key to keeping the momentum going throughout the match?

CHARLEY HULL: Leona kind of started us off pretty strong she played brilliant today and you couldn't really break her down.

Q. Charley, you talked about a neck sprain earlier this week. How has that impacted your play through this week?

CHARLEY HULL: It's called a facet sprain. I don't know, I actually picked up my bag last week and that kind of started it, and then I done it from sleeping as well on the plane over here as well. So, yeah, it's been pretty sore. I kind of had to change my swing a little bit to kind of account for it. It's probably about 70, 80 percent now and hopefully, no, it's good for tomorrow and rest up next week and go to Texas.

Q. Leona, incredible playing today. You said that Suzann gave you some direct orders before you came out. What did she say before you came out this afternoon?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Come out, get your point, simple as. She said, Do what I do, and that would be get a point. So, yeah, it was nice to get out early and get off early with Charley and just really never give the Americans a chance to have a sniff at it.