Law and Ewart Shadoff miss out on Solheim Cup wild-card spots
Bronte Law and Jodi Ewart Shadoff have been overlooked for Catriona Matthew’s six wild cards for next month’s Solheim Cup match, with the Europe captain deciding to reward the players who helped put the Americans in their place at the Women’s Open at Carnoustie on Sunday.
Law, the 26-year-old from Stockport who impressed on her debut in the biennial dust-up two years ago, was fancied for a spot in the blueand-gold dozen who will try to win for a second time on US soil in Ohio in two weeks’ time, with Matthew previously extolling her fiery competitive spirit. Yet Law’s mediocre run of form continued with a missed cut at the British major, and she cannot really feel aggrieved at the Scot looking elsewhere.
Ewart Shadoff, meanwhile, has proven a valuable team member, playing in two winning squads, but she, too, has been misfiring.
It means that with Georgia Hall, Charley Hull and Mel Reid in Matthew’s ranks, Britain have their joint-lowest representation in the 31-year history of the tournament.
After Emily Pedersen and Hall wrapped up their automatic picks from the Ladies European Tour points list – Hall finishing in a tie for second at Carnoustie – and Women’s Open champion Anna Nordqvist grabbing her berth from the world rankings, along with Sophia Popov, Hull and Carlota Ciganda, Matthew chose Leona Maguire, Madelene Sagstrom, Matilda Castren, Nanna Koerstz Madsen, Reid and Celine Boutier. It is a bold selection, with Maguire, Castren and Koerstz Madsen joining Popov, the 2020 Women’s Open champion, as rookies.
Sagstrom finished alongside Hall at the Angus links, with Koerstz Madsen one back after doublebogeying the 18th. The final leaderboard showed five Europeans in the top nine and only one American.
“The performance of our players at Carnoustie was great,” Matthew said. “Obviously for Anna to win, that gives any player a huge boost of confidence going into the Solheim.
“But then to have Nanna, Madelene, Georgia, all playing well in the last major before it is a real boost to their self-belief and that of the team.” Matthew’s toughest task was to tell Sanna Nuutinen that she had fallen short.
She went into the last qualifying event in second place on the LET standings but, despite showing up well at Carnoustie – challenging for three days until fading away on Sunday into a tie for 26th – she was leapfrogged by Hall.
“She’s unlucky, she was playing well coming into it and played well this week,” Matthew said. “She just maybe didn’t quite finish it off. It was obviously a difficult conversation with Sanna, but she was very good about it.”
Finland’s consolation is that they have their first Solheim representative in Castren. Ireland are also celebrating their first call-up in Maguire.
For the Americans, captain Pat Hurst caused something of a shock when overlooking former world No1 Stacy Lewis in her three picks.
Lewis has instead been named as an assistant captain, with Hurst favouring Brittany Altomare, as well as rookies Yealimi Noh and Mina Harigae, neither of whom has yet to win on the LPGA Tour.
Nevertheless, it is a strong unit with nine automatic qualifiers featuring world No 1 Nelly Korda and her sister, Jessica, Danielle Kang, Ally Ewing, Austin Ernst, Lexi Thompson, Megan Khang, Lizette Salas – who also finished in that group in second at Carnoustie – and Jennifer Kupcho.