Gainesville (United States) (AFP) – Suzann Pettersen is uncertain about making a return as Europe’s Solheim Cup captain but is proud of what she has achieved even though she hasn’t beaten the United States. The Americans held off a late Europe fightback for a 15.5-12.5 victory on Sunday at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, taking the trophy for the first time since 2017 after a draw last year in Spain.
Asked if she would return as captain should she be asked, Pettersen said she didn’t know. “I cannot answer that question. I have no idea. This is the end of my term as far as I know and I haven’t been promoted,” Pettersen said. “Just feeling kind of a part of that player body has gotten me up every morning wanting to make this as good of an experience for all of them.”
The 43-year-old Norwegian, a two-time major winner, said she has given her all to advance Europe’s team culture to a next generation. “I’ve done my best. I’ve tried my heart out and I’ve tried to pass on the values I picked up from my previous captains,” Pettersen said. “We have a great culture on the European side and it has been nice helping, recruiting new monsters into this team.”
They include Swiss rookie Albane Valenzuela and German rookie Esther Henseleit, the Paris Olympic runner-up. “We have Albane, Esther, we have people coming from behind who are ready to take on these big tasks, these big challenges,” Pettersen said. “I’m really proud of that.”
Europe will host the next edition in 2026 at Bernardus in the Netherlands. “Congrats to the US, but I think we’ve got some fuel and we’re ready to be back in ’26,” Swedish player Anna Nordqvist said. “Europe played really well. I’m really proud of my team. We played just as good at times, just didn’t seem to make some of those momentum-changing putts.”
Europe won the singles 6.5-5.5 with the Americans winning only one of the last seven matches, and that only after the trophy was decided. “I don’t think the Americans anticipated such a fight from us,” Pettersen said. “We did a great job. I’m very proud of the girls. They show character when they go out there.”
“Yeah, we fell short but we gave it a good go. We made a run for it. That’s all we could ask for. As hungry as the Americans were leaving Spain last year, we’re going to be equally as hungry going in two years.”
Nordqvist wiped away tears when talking about her friend Pettersen’s captaincy. “It has been such a great honor,” she said. “She’s probably the best competitor I’ve ever been around in this game of golf. She just puts her heart into everything. I’m really proud of her work and being a part of this amazing team.”
© 2024 AFP
