Best Solheim Cup ever? Talking points from Europe’s historic 14-14 draw with USA at Finca Cortesin

It was always going to take something special to get anywhere close to the dramatic finish we saw at Gleneagles during the 2019 Solheim Cup, but this year’s race at Finca Cortesin was as close as it gets.

Suzann Pettersen was the hero four years ago when she ended her playing career by claiming the winning point in a 14.5-13.5 success, with the Norwegian this time tasked with leading Team Europe to an historic third successive victory .

Hopes of a threepeat ended when Team USA claimed a clean sweep in the Friday foursomes and took the lead that afternoon, but Pettersen’s side dug deep to fight back and level up the match heading into Sunday’s singles.

Europe’s strong start to the final day disappeared as Stacy Lewis’ US team went 13-11 clear with just four games on the court, only for Caroline Hedwall, Maja Stark and home favorite Carlota Ciganda to deliver the opening 14-14 draw and to rescue. the history of the tournament.

Pettersen proud of historic battle

Captain Pettersen described retaining the trophy as a “dream come true” and admitted the shocking start on Friday morning may have been the fuel they needed to put in such a determined performance.

“Can it get any better than this?” Pettersen said. “I mean, this is a dream come true. We had a huge challenge ahead of us today. We made history again in the Solheim Cup, and these girls are legends.

“We got off to a rough start, but I wonder if it wasn’t a nice wake-up call for all of us. We’ve all been on a pretty good path for a few years now, and maybe that was meant to happen.

“I just said (to the players), you get knocked down and you get back up. You know what, life can be tough, but it’s the way you get back up, and that shows character. I think it’s really shows the character of this team.”

Ciganda and Hedwall receive praise from Europe

Pettersen paid tribute to Hedwall, a controversial captain who sat out the first three sessions before claiming a dramatic singles victory, with the captain also crediting Ciganda after her unbeaten performance.

“I can sit here and talk about every single one of them,” Pettersen added. “I would also like to give some extra credit to Caroline Hedwall, who turned the game around. I feel she had the crucial point. She made sure that Carlota just brought the game home on 16 and 17.”

Leona Maguire, who won 4&3 earlier in the day to earn Europe’s first singles point, added: “I think it’s very fitting that Carlota was the star of the show this week and got to play the winning putt .The girls were incredible this week.”

Ciganda refused to take full credit for her victory, saying at her post-tournament press conference: “It’s not me, it’s the whole team. Europe is always a team. We are united, we fight, and after that Friday morning we I just went out there and we knew we could do this, and I’m very proud.”

Ryder Cup stars are the praise of Team Europe

The Solheim Cup is the first of back-to-back team golf events and the way Europe recovered from Friday’s nightmare start to fall behind again in the singles did not go unnoticed by Luke Donald and several Ryder Cup players past and present.

The former world number 1 tweeted: “A couple of daggers from Carlota to turn her match around on 16 and 17. What a performance from @SolheimCupEuro & @suzannpettersen to retain the Cup. Well done ladies!”

Donald’s post was shared by Ryder Cup Europe and several of his team ahead of next week’s biennial competition at the Marco Simone GC, including Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Justin Rose, with Padraig Harrington and Justin Thomas among the other notable players to host the Pettersen’s team praised.

Thomas said: “Incredible finish at @TheSolheimCup. Those clutch shots from @carlotagolf were amazing. Loved seeing @Lexi play great in the anchor match today. Extremely proud and happy for @CKnightGolf33 and her great play this week. @AlabamaWGolf!”

Harrington added: “What an incredible performance by four points from @suzannpettersen and her team @TheSolheimCup. Particularly brilliant from Caroline Hedwall and @carlotagolf to turn their matches around at the end with fantastic play.”

Lewis takes positives from a near miss

Team USA’s inability to turn a 13-11 lead into a victory means they are still without a Solheim Cup victory since 2017 and have not won on European soil since 2015, although Lewis believes her side can have a lot of encouragement in next year’s competition.

“I don’t want to sound like a sore loser, but it was a draw and I think that’s a lot for this team to build on,” Lewis said. “Especially coming here, coming into this environment with five rookies, a very young and inexperienced team, I mean this week was really good for them.

“The whole week overall feels like a victory. Exactly where we came from Toledo (Solheim Cup 2021) to where this team is now, it was a win, and that’s all that matters. I think it’s more about this one. girls, where they are mentally, how they felt about this. They cried because it meant something to them, and that’s all I was trying to achieve.”

Big future for the Solheim Cup?

The historic draw means that four of the five editions have resulted in Team Europe and Team USA being separated by a point or less, with three-time Solheim Cup player Christina Kim excited about the future of the biennial competition.

“This has been such an exciting week and I am so proud of all 24 women on both sides,” says Kim told Sky Sports. “You couldn’t have achieved a better result, really.

“This is so indicative of what the future holds for the Solheim Cup, for golf, for women in general – this is such an important week. As an American, I would have liked the US to win the Cup, but golf is not that.” what really matters in the end.

“I definitely think this is what will be set in stone for decades to come. It’s going to be absolutely remarkable. Even though people say this is by far the best European team in the Solheim Cup, this is just the beginning. It gives continued validation to the European players.

“People have often said that European players feel like they are being left behind compared to the American team, but I have seen this coming for a long time and the talent is so deep in professional women’s golf that this is the new standard.”

What’s next?

Team golf continues at the Ryder Cup this week, with Team Europe looking to regain the trophy after a record loss at Whistling Straits in 2021. The opening ceremony is live from 3pm on Thursday and the preview show is live from 7pm later that day, while live coverage of the opening day Friday from 6am on Sky Sports Golf.

The Solheim Cups will return to even years starting in 2024, with Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia hosting the competition from September 13-15 next year. Stream the Ryder Cup and more with NOW.