Suzann Pettersen has a propensity to grab the headlines when it comes to the Solheim Cup.
In 2019, it was ‘gimme-gate’, in a row over an American putt that she refused to concede. At the last edition, she sank the winning putt in what proved to be her last-ever stroke in professional golf.
On Sunday, at Finca Cortesin, the captain rallied her players as they pulled off a stunning comeback to retain the cup with a nailbiting 14-14 scoreline. It included a pep talk with Carlota Ciganda on the 16th, as the local heroine held on to give Europe the point required to keep the trophy on the continent.
Norwegian Pettersen, however, deflected attention from herself, following a dramatic turnaround in which her side had been 4-0 down after the opening session on Friday morning.
“Does it get any better than this?” she said. “I mean, this is a dream come true. We had a massive challenge ahead of us today. We’ve created history yet again in the Solheim Cup, and these girls are legends.”
Europe had begun the biennial event as overwhelming favourites to seal a hat-trick of wins. But they had to claw their way back into the contest to make it 8-8 going into Sunday’s singles and were 13-11 adrift of the Americans with just four matches left on the course on the final day’s play.
“We got off to a rocky start, but I wonder if it was almost a nice wake-up call for all of us,” Pettersen added. “We’ve all been on a pretty much high road for a few years now, and maybe that was meant to happen.
“I just said to the players, ‘You get knocked down, you stand up’. You know what, life can be tough, but it’s how you stand back up that shows character. I think it really shows the character of this team.”
There were no shortage of stars within the home team, as Spaniard Ciganda was the one to aptly seal the point that ensured the cup was retained in front of her home crowd.
Leona Maguire, who had a dream Solheim Cup debut in 2021, led the way with the first point in the singles with a comfortable 4&3 victory.
And Pettersen was exonerated for her wildcard selection of Caroline Hedwall, not used in any of the three opening foursomes or fourballs, but who overturned a three-hole deficit with six to play to somehow beat Ally Ewing in what was a remarkable change in fortunes. The Swede was five-under par for those final six holes.
“I can sit here and talk about each and every one of them,” Pettersen said of her players. “I would also like to give some extra credit to Caroline Hedwall — that turned around the match. I feel like she had the crucial point. She teed it up nicely for Carlota to just bring it home on 16 and 17.”
The US are now looking for a first Solheim Cup victory since 2017, but their captain, Stacy Lewis, insisted that a team which consisted of five rookies would take confidence in returning to American soil for the next version in 2025.
“I don’t want to sound like a sore loser, but it was a tie and I think that’s a lot for this team to build off,” she said. “The whole week in general feels like a win.”
Lewis even suggested that a team play-off might be the best way to decide the cup in future, saying it would provide “better TV and a better experience for the fans”.
