SOLHEIM CUP

September 14, 2024

Catriona Matthew

Robert Trent Jones Golf Club

Team Europe

TV

Q. Alongside Catriona Matthew. Overall reflection on the lineup this afternoon, what do you like, what don't you like?

CATRIONA MATTHEW: Yeah, I like the fact she's going with Nordqvist and Sagstrom again leading out. They played so well together yesterday, good friends, going out. They won yesterday so that would be a pairing I'd love to see again.

I'm surprised on the American side that they're resting Nelly. I thought Nelly and Megan would have gone out again. They were so good yesterday, and it's not as it Nelly has played that many holes.

Okay, today she played a few more, but yesterday she didn't play that many. But yeah, the Americans only kept one of their four-balls the same, Andrea Lee and Rose Zhang beat Linn Grant yesterday, and they're up against Linn Grant. I think Linn Grant-Celine Boutier a good pairing, because Celine she will be able to hit the fairways, hit the greens, and let Linn perhaps be that little bit more aggressive.

Carlota and Emily, maybe slightly surprised to see Pedersen out there again. She's won one point out of three. She's going to have played all four games.

And then Charley and Georgia, as Hennie was saying, great friends and hopefully they can just spark something. Hopefully that birdie by Charley and Esther on the last will have given the Europeans just a little bit more momentum.

Looked really good all morning, and then they kind of let it slip. So that birdie gave them a bit of momentum heading into lunch.

Q. For Anna Nordqvist, how much can she use the position of that talisman figure to go out and really drive the performance of the Europeans this afternoon?

CATRIONA MATTHEW: I really think she can. She's just -- watching her this morning, her iron shots were just laser, like back to the kind of Anna of old which no one would have expected coming in this.

Her form really hasn't been there this year. She's been striping her irons and holing some putts, which is what you need to do. I think she'll want to go out there and be a real leader.

It's her ninth Solheim Cup. As she said in her interview, she's coming towards the end. Who knows if you'll play another one. She'll certainly want to go out on a high.

Q. What is it about a special type of player that enables you, when you haven't had the form -- she's missed seven of the last nine cuts -- to not have the form come in but turn it on under the most intense pressure?

CATRIONA MATTHEW: I think she's coming in -- it's her ninth Solheim. She can lean on all that experience she's had. She knows how to cope with the crowd. She knows what the big moments are. She can just learn from all that, and I think she got off to a good start and she's built her confidence up.

Q. What does Suzann say at this halfway mark? Because you said it all the way through commentary they needed to get out of that morning session 3-1. They haven't. But we all know points to play, a lot of points to play for every session. What has she said to her team in this break before they head out for the four-balls?

CATRIONA MATTHEW: Obviously probably she'll have been a little disappointed, but as I said, that birdie and full point from Charley and Esther will have given them a bit more of a boost.

And she'll be telling them, you went out there, you were up in them all. We just need to finish the games off this afternoon.

Q. Nelly Korda, I've never seen Nelly Korda more effervescent. Obviously we know what she does in her individual stroke play events, but she has got the Solheim Cup passion running through her veins. She's not out this afternoon. That was a bit of a surprise. She'll be there in full spirit, in full voice, won't she, cheering on her teammates this afternoon.

CATRIONA MATTHEW: She will indeed. I wouldn't you are surprised if she's out following that Allisen Lee-Megan Khang match, just kind of giving them support.

Yeah, surprised not to see her out there. When you win three games you are going to love it. She's playing well. She's really embraced the whole atmosphere, the crowd, everything this week so far.

Q. A bit about the selections of the pairings and how much that has shown us the differences in the two captains. Stacy very methodical, very tactical, very strategic, very much about data; Suzann very much about intuition, gut feel, instinct. Have we really seen that for you over the last couple of days in the selections?

CATRIONA MATTHEW: Yeah, for Suzann, she does a little bit more on her gut instinct. I think when you're behind -- she's probably come in here with plans and pairings and what she thought she might do. When some of them don't work out you've got to be agile, change things up. You've got to just be more in the moment, which I think we're seeing from Suzann.

She's maybe trying a few pairings that she might not have initially thought coming into this week. You've just got to hope that a couple of these ones might just spark into life.

Q. Is it the same situation as this morning? Do you think they need to get out of this 3-1, the Europeans, to put themselves right back in this?

CATRIONA MATTHEW: Yes, as I said, they got off to a good start this morning. Suzann will be telling them, get off to another good start, but then you've just got to finish them off.

It's that kind of 8 to 12 kind of -- even 14 the Americans seem to turn it on a little bit, so if we can play that 10 to 14 holes well.

Q. This crowd, the noise, describe what it's like out here right now and how vocal these fans have been and how important that is in terms of home side advantage.

CATRIONA MATTHEW: I think it's really important to the Americans. This morning it was really quite peaceful. I was enjoying it there in the commentary box. Wasn't hearing too many USA chants anywhere.

But they're out in force this afternoon. The first tee there behind us is rocking. But yeah, we just need to try and silence that crowd a little bit again.

Q. Can they still do this, the Europeans?

CATRIONA MATTHEW: Yeah, I believe they can, but I really do think they have to win this session. If they can get to within two, three points of the Americans going into the singles, you just never know.

Q. Those bananas --

CATRIONA MATTHEW: They just never rest.

Q. They're key this afternoon, aren't they?

CATRIONA MATTHEW: They are, and they said they recruited more bananas. I don't know who keeps a banana outfit in their wardrobe.

Q. How up for this have the Americans been and how well have they played in terms of some of the putts on those greens?

CATRIONA MATTHEW: Yeah, some of those clutch putts Ally Ewing holed down the stretch and then coming from Nelly, they've been digging deep. They want to win this.