The Solheim Cup had not even finished before recriminations around the defeated European team began but Suzann Pettersen, the captain, appears unmoved by any criticism of her leadership.
Leona Maguire used the immediate aftermath of a singles win against Ally Ewing to take what was barely even a veiled swipe at Pettersen. Maguire, a star of Europe’s success in Toledo three years ago who was prominent again in Spain in 2023, featured in only one of four sessions before the Sunday singles. She said this was a “bitter pill to swallow” and, while insisting she was a “team player”, appeared to question Pettersen’s judgment.
“She didn’t give much reason, to be honest,” Maguire said of Pettersen. “The feeling I got was that I was a little bit too short and didn’t make enough birdies but I think I proved today there’s more than one way to skin a cat. I think I made plenty of birdies today.
“I don’t need any extra motivation to go out and try to win my point but yeah there probably was a little bit extra there, not going to lie.”
The words were viral on the internet before Stacy Lewis and the US team had collected the trophy. So, too, was Maguire’s social media post stating: “Form is temporary, class is permanent.” For one typically so quiet, this marked a departure.
Only a few hours later did Maguire appear to temper her emotions. “Win as a team, lose as a team,” she said. “Very proud of each player and how we all fought to the very end. Regardless of the result, a fantastic week with an amazing group of girls.” Pointedly, there was no mention of her captain.
Only one player on the European team, Charley Hull, won more than two points. Six Americans earned two and a half or more. Linn Grant emerged pointless from four outings. Emily Pedersen played in all five sessions, winning just two points.
Asked specifically why Maguire did not play on day two, Pettersen said: “It’s extremely difficult to sit any players on this team.” The answer felt unsatisfactory, including because the Norwegian must have been well aware this was a move that would raise questions.
It is clear Pettersen will not admit to making selection errors. Instead, she focused on Maguire’s win in match 11 of the singles. “I’ve never lived my life regretting any decisions,” Pettersen said. “You’d rather play with your gut feel and your heart. Sometimes you get outplayed.
“We know what they’re facing. If we were going to have a chance at this, we needed all 12 players. It would have been nice to have an anchor like Leona in the back knowing she can take it and get it done.
“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. 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.”
Pettersen was noncommittal on leading Europe for what would be a third time in 2026. However, it feels the time for change has arrived. Anna Nordqvist is the early favourite to assume captaincy duties. Maguire will arrive in the Netherlands for that event with huge motivation.
