SOLHEIM CUP

September 15, 2024

Suzann Pettersen

Laura Davies

Mel Reid

Anna Nordqvist

Caroline Martens

Robert Trent Jones Golf Club

Team Europe

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Suzann, Mel, Laura, Caroline, Anna, commiserations, but a what a hard fought contest it was today. Suzann, could you please give us your thoughts today on this week.

SUZANN PETTERSEN: Well, I just think we gave them a good run for their money today. At 2:25 we were still out there having a chance at this remarkable comeback that it would have been, and I don't think the Americans anticipated such a fight from us.

We won the singles today, so we won the session. I think we did a great job. I'm very proud of the girls. They show character when they go out there with a very -- it's not the easiest of situations to face going into the singles, but we were led off by Charley and she set the standard and made us all believe that it would be possible.

Yeah, we fell short, but we gave it a good go.

Q. For both Suzann and Anna, can you speak to the incredible golf that was played this week by both sides? There were some golf shots and putts that rolled in that didn't seem makeable in the moment.

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, I don't think a lot of people realize how much good golf has been played. I feel like Europe played really well. There's obviously not a lot of claps when we hit good shots. You kind of had to make a high-five with your teammates.

But it's a tough golf course. A lot of tough golf holes out there. There's been a lot of birdies and eagles made out there.

Hats off to the Americans. They played really well. I'm really proud of my team. We played just as good at times, just didn't seem to make some of those momentum-changing putts.

But yeah, I don't think people realize how good the state of women's golf is, so I'm really proud to be a part of it as a player and as a vice captain.

Yeah, congrats to the U.S., but I think we've got some fuel and we're ready to be back in '26, and I can't wait to watch these girls to compete again.

SUZANN PETTERSEN: Yeah, I think it was a great level of golf on a very, very good golf course. I think it was a great venue for a tournament like this. It really set up well with obviously all the fans.

Yeah, would love to come back and play this course on a regular Tuesday.

Q. What did you say to your team when it was over?

SUZANN PETTERSEN: We lost. (Smiling).

Q. That was it?

SUZANN PETTERSEN: I mean, starting the day, we knew we had to get off to a good start. Charley crushing Nelly with some really, really fantastic golf was kind of fun to watch.

Then from then on, the momentum kind of -- I actually enjoyed the quietness out there for quite a while. I thought the crowds were kind of silenced by maybe questioning if they were going to kind of be challenged.

I think for the most part of the day, we had a shot at it.

You look at the final scores, it doesn't really relate to kind of how close it was. At one point, I thought this was all going to be lined up for Lexi, like the storytelling that it's been over the last two Solheims or forever really. But when that didn't happen, I'm thinking, we might have a slight hope again.

But it was just a great finish. Great golf was played. We made a run for it. That's all we could ask for the players.

As hungry as the Americans were leaving Spain last year, we're going to be equally as hungry going in two years.

Q. Suzann, do you have any regrets over your lineup yesterday and resting Leona and Albane for the entire day given how well they performed today?

SUZANN PETTERSEN: I've never lived my life regretting any decisions. You'd rather play with your gut feel and your heart. Sometimes you get outplayed. There was a reason why Leona and the lineup in the back was what it was. We know what they're capable of.

We know what they're facing. If we were going to have a chance at this, we needed all 12 players, and we need -- it would have been nice to have an anchor like Leona in the back knowing she can take it and get it done.

I mean, it's a 12-woman team, and it's always going to be hard to do the pairings. Sometimes you get it right, sometimes you get outplayed. Maybe we could have played other players that maybe could have faced different opponents that could have changed the outcome.

You can always look back, but at the same time I don't think we as a team have any regrets of what we did.

We tried our best. I think coming off a very slow start, again, on Friday morning is kind of what hurt us. That's something we internally have to work on because it's tough over and over to kind of always feel like you're coming from behind.

It's very doable. We showed it again today. I thought yesterday was a good kind of fair competition, 2-2 in both sessions. Yeah, we're right there. But you also need a little bit of luck.

I don't feel like we made an awful lot of putts overall throughout the week, and at the end of the day, it is a couple of points' difference.

Q. Why was Leona left out yesterday for the entire day because a lot of people will be asking that question knowing how much she has contributed in the past to Solheim Cup?

SUZANN PETTERSEN: It's extremely difficult to sit any players on this team. The way it turned out, that's how it turned out.

Q. Suzann, was there a bit of a miscommunication when closing ceremonies, both Team Europe and Team USA should have gone up on the stage and it was maybe not clear to you?

SUZANN PETTERSEN: I don't know, I just think the fans would have loved to see both teams up there. But that being said, yeah, we were also reminded last year, we were on the stage.

But I think for the fans, they would appreciate maybe seeing both teams, both players. But it is what it is.

Q. Suzann, if you look back on your whole experience as captain and the two years in which you led Europe, are you satisfied with the job that you did, or do you have regrets overall?

SUZANN PETTERSEN: I mean, I guess you're asking the wrong person to answer that.

I mean, I would say -- I get emotional after a week like this because there's friendships, moments, stories that will live with me forever, and I cherish that, and I love these girls to death. I want them to do well, and I'm extremely proud of them. That's kind of what I'm sitting back with. Essentially I'll never forget when Laura got on a spinning bike trying to work out. That's going to stick with me forever, right? Moments like that will last forever.

Q. Anna, how would you assess Suzann's leadership over the last two years?

ANNA NORDQVIST: I mean, being a player, having played with Suzann competitively on Tour for many years, having been her teammate on many Solheim Cups and now having the honor to not only just be vice captain but also be playing under her team, it has been such a great honor.

Suzann is a great friend. I'm trying not to cry. Just so many emotions.

She's probably the best competitor I've ever been around in this game of golf. She just puts her heart into everything.

Seeing all the -- being part of this team as both a vice captain and a player, I don't think -- you as a player don't always appreciate all the work that goes into it. There's so many decisions, there's so many emotions, there's so much going on. It really takes a village to make this happen.

But Suzann, I've loved being able to be around her again. I miss her on Tour. Just being able to be part of her competitive spirit again, I don't think -- most of the girls haven't played in Suzann's heydays and haven't seen what an amazing athlete and person she is.

Just having the honor to be part of that, it's been quite the honor, and I'm really proud of her work, and being a part of this amazing team. They've all put their hearts out there, and that's all we can ask for, and we gave it a run today.

You win some, you lose some, but you can't question anything they've done. They've tried do their best, tried to accommodate everyone, and I couldn't be more proud.

Q. Suzann, would you captain again if offered?

SUZANN PETTERSEN: I have no idea. This is kind of the end of my term as far as I know, and I haven't been promoted. I cannot answer that question.

But I want to say one thing, and what I've loved the most about doing this, and I really mean that from the bottom of my heart, is even though I haven't been competitive playing week in, week out, I still feel like I've been a part of the player group. As a retired player, you step away, you don't see everyone every week, you miss seeing your friends on Tour.

So just feeling kind of a part of that player body has, for me, kind of gotten me up every morning wanting to make this as good of an experience for all of them. That's probably what I'm sitting back with. Kind of now that I'm done, hopefully I'm not going to be cut off the WhatsApp group. Yeah, I've really enjoyed that.

Q. Laura, have you changed your mind about possibly being a captain one day?

LAURA DAVIES: Definitely not.

Q. Suzann, you're getting a little emotional hearing what Anna was saying about you. What do those words mean and what emotions were coming out?

SUZANN PETTERSEN: I'm a mom now, so I'm quite sensitive, quite emotional. I cry from literally nothing.

But I have a lot of great friends on Tour, Anna being one of them. We've shared a lot. The same as with Laura, Mel, Caroline and the rest of the team.

I just want to -- standing on the first tee today, I saw Charlie Meacham yesterday. It was a fantastic surprise. A guy that has helped and kind of supported women's golf for momentum years, and then I saw him again today -- I'm going to start crying again.

I couldn't stop hugging him because it's like those people, they made such a difference for all of us. All of a sudden I'm standing there kind of relishing moments like back at the Bay Hill when Arnie, him and myself was just standing there fooling around.

It was just a fantastic face to see, and I was so happy for him to be there. That's what this game is about.

At the end of the day, win or lose, I know I'm competitive. I hate to lose. I can't say anything else. But at the same time, you've also got to remember there's a storyline here. Really proud to share all of this with this team and the players.

Q. It looked like there was a message you were sharing with some of your players, holding phones up to their ears on the first tee. What was that message, and who was it from?

SUZANN PETTERSEN: I'm not going to tell you.

Q. If this is it, the end of your term, how would you evaluate your captaincy?

SUZANN PETTERSEN: I won't do it. You'll have to ask people that -- I've done my best. I've tried my heart out, and I've tried to pass on the values that I picked up from my previous captains, from my previous teams that I've been on.

I think we have a great culture on the European side, and it's been nice kind of helping, recruiting new monsters into this team. We have Albane, Esther, we have people coming from behind who's ready to take on these big tasks, these big challenges, and I'm really proud of that.