Europe Hangs on to Win 2021 Solheim Cup, Claim Second Cup Ever on U.S. Soil
TOLEDO, Ohio – The Inverness Club was an American sanctuary this week, with most of the 130,000 fans wearing red, white and blue, star-spangled flags fluttering around the course and cheers that were one-sided toward the home team. But somehow Europe persevered to win its sixth Solheim Cup and only its second on foreign soil, 15-13.
Yes, it was close in the end, as the Sunday singles session tied 6 to 6, but what started with the Europeans taking a 3 ½ to ½ lead in the opening session Saturday morning set the stage for a rare, foreign-soil triumph. It was also the second Cup for European captain Catriona Matthew, infectiously known as Beany.
“Deep down I knew the Americans were going to come back like they did, and Saturday, I think the finish we had that last day, getting kind of that two and a half to one and a half, I think was what that session was, it just kind of buoyed our team” Matthew said. “I think Mel and Leona getting that win on the last, or half point, just kind of kept us going, kept the momentum with us. We had kind of great momentum on Sunday night going into the singles, and I think having that two-point lead obviously was a great advantage to us playing away from home. I think you probably needed to have a little bit of a lead going into the singles.
European fans who would otherwise travel enthusiastically to support their team were forced to stay home due to COVID restrictions, leaving the 12 players, captain, vice captains and a small group of European fans living in the U.S. to cheer a European contingent that on paper looked to be a heavy underdog.
But the Europeans never succumbed. When there was a rules controversy in the Saturday afternoon four-ball that cost Europe at least ½ point, Matthew emphatically supported Madelene Sagstrom, who had picked up a ball that was deemed overhanging the hole too early. Neither Sagstrom nor Matthew let that setback derail the mission.
Europe led after each of the five sessions, just as they did in 2013, when they won on U.S. soil, 18-10 at Colorado Golf Club.
Rookie Leona Maguire starred for Europe, going 4-0-1 and drubbing Jennifer Kupcho 5 & 4 in singles. The USA Big Three didn’t deliver, as World No. 1 and gold medalist Nelly Korda, sister Jessica and Lexi Thompson combined to go 4-6-1, which matched Maguire's point total and left U.S. captain Pat Hurst scrambling for a pairing that worked. Hurst even paired two rookies, Yealimi Noh and Mina Harigae, together on Sunday afternoon while benching Thompson and Nelly Korda.
The rookies were the only U.S. pairing to win a point Sunday afternoon.
“I had a plan and I stuck to it,” Hurst said Monday evening. “I'm pretty consistent. Everyone knew what we were going to do, and I wasn't going to go away from that, and I didn't.”
Maguire was the MVP of the matches, winning 4 ½ points as the only player on either side to play in five matches. She was the first player from Ireland to compete in the Solheim Cup.
“I do want to give a little big up to my girl Leona because I didn't see that pairing coming,” said Mel Reid of her partner for three matches that produced a 2-0-1 result. “I trusted Catriona's pairing there and she was like, 'I really want you to play with Leona,' and I could not be more proud of her by the way she handled herself, the way she plays. Hopefully the whole world now sees how good she is”
On Thursday in her pre-Solheim Cup press conference, Reid had suggested this was the strongest European team in history. At the time it seemed like puffery, but it turned out to be prophetic.
“You've just got to look at the way the rookies played,” Reid said. “They weren't scared. They're completely fearless. You know, they've either won or played amazingly well on the LPGA. They're not scared of these girls. In the past I feel like they've not really played much golf on the LPGA, and these girls are not like that. Everyone just played amazing. Everyone played their part.
"The team room and the atmosphere, we have to become a unit to be able to beat such a world-class American team, and to do it on their home soil with all the fans -- we didn't have many fans here this week obviously with protocols and obviously we had a lot of support at home, but we didn't hear the chants.”
Matthew agreed that the rookies here played like they did in Colorado, the last time the U.S. lost the Solheim Cup at home.
“I think to win a Solheim Cup you have to have all your players playing well and you have to have all your players contribute points, and that's what we did this week,” Matthew said. “Our rookies stepped up under probably the most extreme circumstances with really having no European fans, so very proud of them.”