Watch out America... Matthew is willing to lead Europe again in 2021
VICTORIOUS skipper Catriona Matthew says she would accept an invitation to lead Team Europe again when they defend the Solheim Cup on American soil in 2021.
And Dame Laura Davies believes the Scot has earned the right to lead from the front at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.
Matthew saw all of her big decisions pay off in front of delirious galleries at Gleneagles on Sunday — none more so than her wild-card selection of Suzann Pettersen who had played almost no golf for two years.
The Norwegian thrillingly holed the winning putt on the 18th green as Europe ended America’s hopes of a third straight Solheim Cup victory in dramatic style.
Asked about taking on the captaincy again, Matthew revealed: ‘I wouldn’t say no. You never know, I’ll let this one sink in first. I couldn’t top this at all. This is absolutely fantastic.’
The former British Open winner said the whole experience of leading the team on home soil had surpassed all expectations.
And she particularly enjoyed seeing Pettersen, whose selection had attracted so much criticism, justify her decision.
‘I did have a lot of faith in her,’ said Matthew. ‘And I knew when I took the captaincy on that, if we won, my picks would be great but, if we lost, they would be terrible.
‘That’s just what happens when you’re captain. If you win, everything you do is great. But, if you lose, you’ve made some terrible decisions.
‘Obviously, I had a lot of help from my vice-captains. We did talk about things but, in the end, I suppose it was my final decision.
‘The toughest thing was telling the ones who weren’t playing — because everyone is champing at the bit to go.’
The 50-year-old knows this edition of the tournament will take some surpassing.
‘Did it live up to expectations? It exceeded them. The crowd on the last green and the closing ceremony was unbelievable. The last green, I’ve never seen anything like it, to be honest. Even the first tee on Sunday was quite unbelievable.
‘To win it in Scotland — and on such a nice day...
‘For it to be so close and to go to the last putt just makes it all the more exciting.’
While the decision on the next captain will ultimately be made by the Ladies European Tour (LET), who may yet opt for Pettersen after she announced her retirement from playing after Sunday’s win, Matthew would be a popular appointment second time round.
Vice-captain Davies said: ‘I think Suzann’s nailed on, if she wants to do it. She would be a great captain of the future. But my vote would go to Beany (Matthew) again next time, because everyone has enjoyed it so much.
‘I always think that, if you win, you deserve the chance to go and get the trophy back again. I would
encourage her to go for it. Catriona and her family might think it’s way too much. It’s a hell of a commitment. But it’s not any of our choices, it’s the board of LET.’
Asked what made Matthew such a formidable leader, Davies said simply: ‘She’s Beany. She doesn’t get too worked up about anything. That’s just her personality — and that rubs off on the players. Communication was good, everyone knew what they were doing at all times.
‘She also had to make a couple of tough decisions. A couple of players were sat out when they didn’t want to be. But that’s part of being a captain. You have to be strong — and she is.
‘She might look like she just cruises along. But, if there’s a decision to be made, she proved she can make it. Catriona never looked worried. She second guessed herself a couple of times — but always went back to her original call.
‘As vice-captains, we just said: “These are your decisions, Beany. We’re happy to chuck in a few suggestions.” But we knew she was making the right decisions all the way through. Her husband, Graeme, was in tears on the 18th green and it shows that, as a family, they’ve put a massive amount into this for the last 18 months. This win is the culmination of that — and it’s incredible.’
Davies, a four-time major winner who played in 12 editions of the Solheim Cup, has no doubts 2019 will go down as the best ever. Topping even the dramatics of Killeen Castle in 2011 — her final outing as a competitor.
‘As a win, it’s the best we’ve ever had. The win in Ireland, we came back in a very similar fashion. But this tops it because of all the characters involved, some of the younger players — and the whole week has been the best Solheim Cup experience I’ve ever had.’
Plenty waxed lyrical about fate after Pettersen holed the winning putt at the PGA Centenary Course.
After what had happened in France four years earlier — her controversial non-concession of a putt leading to tears and inspiring a USA victory — it simply had to be her, right?
Yet Davies insisted that, just like everything else over three days of competition, Matthew had deliberately put her wildcard in a position to seal the triumph.
Asked how she would assess Pettersen, Davies said: ‘Simply the toughest competitor I’ve ever come up against. I’m glad she’s on our side.
‘She’s gone from villain to hero in one fell swoop. You can’t cover it up, that changed the momentum of the Solheim Cup that time.
‘So it’s nice that she can come back two years later and win the cup for us with one stroke.
‘I loved that it came down to her. There are a couple of players I would have fancied there — Bronte Law is one.
‘That’s why we stacked the bottom half of the singles. People who could handle it. It was eight-all going in, so obviously it was going to be close.
‘Bronte, Anna Nordqvist or Suzann, we knew one of those was going to have to win the Cup for us. It just happened to be Suzann.
‘Nine times out of ten, in that position, she comes out on top.’