The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Matthew bows out on high as captain
Catriona Matthew won’t be persuaded to have a third stint as Europe’s Solheim Cup team captain in Spain in two years’ time after her team made history on Monday in Ohio.
Europe’s 15-13 victory over the USA at the Inverness club made the Scot the first European captain to win back-to-back Solheims.
She’s the first from Europe in team golf to win successive cups since Tony Jacklin in the 1985 and 1987 Ryder Cups.
Matthew is also the first player, male or female, to win home and away as both player and captain in the great team events.
But after 20 years of “the best week in golf I’ve had” she’s content to hand on the torch. “No, it’s someone else’s turn,” she said firmly at the presentation.
“I was lucky enough to play in nine and I’ve captained two, and I’ve had a fantastic time,” she said.
“It’s the best week I’ve had every two years, and to have been involved with it now for over 20 years has been brilliant.
“I’m sure I’ll be there watching in 2023, but it’s someone else’s turn.”
Not much could better than winning the cup on home soil and the dramatic finale at Gleneagles two years ago, but this came close, she said.
“At Gleneagles, the way it finished and being in front of my home crowd was very special,” she said.
“This time, winning on American soil wasn’t easy. And especially this year with Covid and Europeans not being able to travel made it even sweeter.
“Really, we had next to no fans out there and that made it tough.
“Especially when the crowd got really loud, we had to hang in there.
“But the team did brilliantly.
“I didn’t have to do much, they went out there and produced the goods.
“It’s down to the whole team of 12.
“One person doesn’t win it, we needed all 12 of them, so just congratulations to the whole team.”
There were final-day nerves, she admitted, but it couldn’t have worked out better with Matilda Castren holing out on 18 to secure the cup again.
“We got off to such a good start, winning three points in the first few games, and then it looked sort of dodgy for a while,” she said.
“We knew it was going to be close, and then Matilda obviously holed that fantastic putt on 18 to get her full point.
“Then Emily (Kristine Pedersen) closing out on 18 was just dream-come-true stuff really.”
Matthew was never the most demonstrative and voluble of captains.
But she brought all the steely resolve that made her the best singles player in Solheim Cup history. She was second only to Annika Sorenstam and Dame Laura Davies in points won for Europe as a player.
As captain she was unafraid to swap around her partnerships and to put faith in rookies and players under pressure, as Madelene Sagstrom pointed out.
The Swede had been crestfallen after the Saturday rules infraction that cost her team a point.
Matthew responded by putting her out first thing the next morning and second in the singles draw.
“I didn’t have the best start to the week,” said Sagstrom.
“It was great Beany put me out first to show she believed in me and the team had my back.
“She just has so much belief in us, she’s said that from day one.
“It’s just such a great team atmosphere to be around. It really fuels my confidence and I believe in myself so much because of the fact she believes in us.”
Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist said: “Catriona Matthew has been a great Solheim Cup player.
“I remember watching her in 2003 in Barseback when I was outside the ropes and could only dream about making one team, and now I’ve made a few.”
Contenders to succeed Matthew will include her faithful lieutenant and friend, Monifieth’s Kathryn Imrie, who played in the Solheim twice and has been part of the backroom team at the last three editions.
But the favourite will probably be Gleneagles heroine Suzann Pettersen.
The Norwegian retired immediately after the 2019 win but rejoined as an assistant captain this week.