Pettersen Defends Her Decisions After Europe’s Solheim Cup Loss

Despite a valiant comeback on the final day, Europe fell short in their quest for a historic fourth consecutive Solheim Cup title, losing to the United States. Captain Suzann Pettersen came under scrutiny for her player selections, particularly the decision to leave Ireland’s Leona Maguire out of Saturday’s foursomes and fourballs matches.

Trailing 6-2 after a tough opening day, Europe mounted a gutsy fightback, winning Sunday’s singles 6½-5½. At one point, it seemed they might reach the 14 points needed to retain the trophy. However, Pettersen’s lineup choices, including the omission of Maguire—who had been a star in the previous two editions—raised questions.

“I’ve never lived my life regretting any decisions,” said Pettersen, 43. “It’s a 12-woman team, and pairings are always difficult. Sometimes you get it right, sometimes you get outplayed. We could look back and say maybe different players could have faced different opponents, but in the end, we tried our best.”

Maguire, who contributed seven and a half points in her first two Solheim Cup appearances, sat out three sessions overall. She played alongside England’s Georgia Hall in the Friday fourballs but suffered a 6&4 loss to the formidable American duo of Nelly Korda and Megan Khang.

Pettersen, while disappointed with the result, emphasized the collective effort of the team. “You can always look back, but I don’t think we, as a team, have any regrets about what we did.”