The Solheim Cup
Rich Harvest Farms
Sugar Grove, Ill.
Aug. 23, 2009
Sunday Singles
U. S. SOLHEIM CUP TEAM
MIKE SCANLAN: We’d like to welcome in the victorious 2009 U.S. Solheim Cup team. They pulled off the 16 to 12 victory over the Europeans today. We’d like Beth Daniel to start with just a few thoughts on the last two years and what this means to you to have the Cup in front of you right now.
BETH DANIEL: Well, it’s awesome, especially since it was such a hard fought battle. I mean, Alison had her team ready to play. I mean, we really had to dig deep, and it basically came down to the back nine.
I was on the 13th tee, the par 3, helping the players and the caddies with clubs, and that’s where it started literally started to turn around, and that’s where it turned around yesterday, as well, in the afternoon for us. That was kind of our good luck corner, and it was loud in that corner, too.
But I mean, they had to dig deep. They real had to dig deep to win this, and I’m so proud of each and every one of them.
MIKE SCANLAN: Morgan, did you realize that your match was going to be the clincher?
MORGAN PRESSEL: I was driving Beth nuts on the tee box to figure out what was going on, and she goes, “don’t worry about it.” I go, “but I want to know. What are they telling you in your ear?”
I knew what was going on. I knew that we had the half point in Christina going dormie two matches in front of us, so I knew that winning that point on that hole specifically put us at 14 and a half points. It was exciting. It was awesome to have most of the team there cheering me on, so it was great.
Q. Juli, great half today. Could you have dreamt up a better script to sign off from the Solheim?
BETH DANIEL: Who says she’s done?
JULI INKSTER: I am signing off.
BETH DANIEL: I don’t believe that.
JULI INKSTER: It was a great match. I mean, I was down all day until 17, and you know, match play is just an incredible thing. It’s just one shot here, one putt there.
I don’t know, I just got on a little roll there. When I was looking at the board, I know Beth told us not to look at the board, but I have to look at the board. It was not looking very good. It was looking okay, but not great.
I just kept chattering to myself to say, this is an important match, you’ve got to get at least a half a point here. It’s two holes. If you can’t win two holes, then you don’t deserve to be out here.
So it was a great match. Gwladys played good. It was good.
Q. Talk a little bit more about your good luck corner. So many matches seemed to turn in the middle of the back nine. You look up at one point and there’s like six or eight blues up there, and then it just flipped. Why do you think that?
BETH DANIEL: Yeah, somebody else answer that.
CHRISTINA KIM: Well, I think that one reason why it’s considered our good luck corner is so many of the holes are so close to one another that every four minutes it seemed you heard another roar, and based on the volume of it you could tell it was an American. It starts off with one, and it was just contagious. It just went all the way around, and you just get a little bit of that momentum, and you ride it out.
MORGAN PRESSEL: I was playing 10 and 11, and I heard a lot of roars ahead of me. That was pretty exciting. There was just a lot of people there. I remember I heard a lot of “Juli” roars coming up 14 and 15.
JULI INKSTER: That’s because most of the crowd was over 40, or 50. They don’t know any of you guys. (Laughter).
Q. Beth, obviously your captain’s picks were more than
CHRISTINA KIM: Awesome.
Q. Could you talk about both Juli and Michelle and especially Michelle’s performance these last few days?
BETH DANIEL: Obviously Michelle played really well. There were times when I thought she was walking on air, she was so pumped up.
You know, I mean, I thought they were good picks all along. You know, I had the veteran leadership in Juli, and every one of these guys wanted Juli on their team. That is the biggest tribute that you can give to a player. (Applause.).
JULI INKSTER: Thanks.
BETH DANIEL: You know, and Michelle was playing so well that it was just hard not to pick her, and she has continued that good play this week.
You know, I said yesterday, or the day before, I can’t remember, once I made those captain’s picks, they were one of 12. They were one of the team. And I told these guys all along, it was going to take 12 of us to win.
You know, I had a lineup today, I started with Paula and Angela. Those guys went out Paula played awesome. She had a tough match against Suzann Pettersen. That was going to be a very tough match. You know, the two of them went out and won two very quick points for us early in the day. (Applause). And that helps relax them.
You make a statement, and then we got the half from Inkster, we got the half from Brittany Lang. Those were huge. At that point in time in the day, you look back, if we don’t get those two halves, we don’t win the Solheim Cup.
So everybody has their part in this, and it takes 12 people. I had 12 people on board, and I’m fortunate that I did, and I appreciate what they did for me. (Applause).
Q. If the two Brittanys could talk about their matches, and Brittany Lang, down 2 with 2 to go with a legend there in Laura and pulling off the half a point.
BRITTANY LANG: Well, I knew I just needed to give myself two opportunities on the last two holes. Laura was playing fantastic. She was making a lot of putts, hitting it well. So I just tried to swing aggressively on those last two holes, and I hit some of the best shots I had hit all day. Played great at hole 17, and she struggled on 17, so I was lucky there.
And then she struggled on hole 18, as well, so I hit a couple of good shots there and got a birdie and got it done.
BETH DANIEL: You sound like you’re bad. You talk like you’re bad. You’re good.
BRITTANY LINCICOME: My match was the same. It really went back and forth starting on No. 1. I made a pretty long putt, probably 20 or 25 feet or longer on the first hole, and Sophie drained it on top of me. So you knew after that first hole it was going to be a tough day, and we kept battling it out. Finally got 1 up, and tried to hold onto it and it kind of slipped away, but then I got it back.
Finally I was putting really well. I made everything I looked at, so it was a great match. It was really a lot of fun to watch.
Q. For Juli and whoever else wants to answer, I’m wondering if you could talk about the excitement and the energy and the atmosphere this week, and also if you think that could spill over to other parts of women’s golf, the Tour.
BRITTANY LINCICOME: I think a rookie should answer that one.
KRISTY McPHERSON: I was a good cheerleader this week. I got the crowd going up. Holla. Let me tell you, Paula did good in the stands on No. 1 tee yesterday morning. MP was there, too. She wasn’t really sure what to do. Jules was in there and B. Lang.
Q. How exciting was it, though, Kristy?
KRISTY McPHERSON: It was awesome. Crowds were definitely a huge advantage for us. Every time, I know yesterday when Morgan and I were playing in the afternoon, we needed a little pick me up, and every time we did, the crowds always they were there for us, and I know it got under the other girls’ skin a little bit and just kind of helped us out, and any advantage we can get. And then my partner goes and makes all the putts we need to make. The crowds were awesome. We love you guys.
JULI INKSTER: You want to know how this will help the LPGA?
Well, I mean, I just think if more people could come out and actually watch us play I mean, I’ve been out here, as you guys know, a long time, and I’ve never seen the golf that these women play now. That’s not only our team, but the European team.
You have Lorena and all the other ethnic groups out there. We have the best golf right now ever. I mean, we’ve got a lot of diversity out there
BETH DANIEL: Please don’t print that.
JULI INKSTER: And they can all play golf. But everybody writes about the negativity of the LPGA. We have a great product, and the more people see that and write about it, you know it’ll be great for us.
I’m trying to say we’ve got some great golf, and if people would write about the golf and not about all the other stuff, you know, we would be we’re going to be great. We’re going to be good. You guys just got to be patient with us.
Q. Juli, has it started to set in that this is your last Solheim? You said it on TV earlier.
BETH DANIEL: Are we doing a farewell Tour?
Brett Favre right here.
JULI INKSTER: I am really happy where I’m at. I’m not saying I’m retiring because I am keeping an eye out on all you guys, but you know what, I’m perfectly fine where I’m at right now, and this was a great thrill to be involved with these other 11 ladies, and Beth and Meg and Kelly. It was a great way to go out. I will do whatever they want for me to do next year, help them out, be a little runner or whatever they want me to do. But I’m going to watch these girls play.
As long as I get a VIP pass, I’m good. (Laughter).
Q. This one is for Paula. Talk about the importance of you getting off to a good start, and then you’re 3 for 3 in Solheim Cups and you’ve played great in all three of them. What is it about this? (Applause.)
PAULA CREAMER: I knew going out, first off, was a lot of just momentum going out. I tried to get the crowds going as loud as I could. With the team behind me, I knew I was in not a very bad place at all.
I kind of talked to Angela about it that night, and I said, we’re going out and getting those first two points and we’re going to put it up on the board as soon as we can, and we did. We kind of had a battle against each other in the sense of who could get the first point. Angela, I think, beat me at it, but it was a great match, it really was. There was a lot of birdies made, a lot of good putts.
But when you do have that first spot, you know you have to motivate your team. They want to see red, and for a long time they saw blue up there, and I kind of feel when the red started showing there was hope in everybody’s eyes.
But it’s been a wonderful week. I’ve always said, this has been the best week of my life. It’s better than winning any tournament on my own. Whenever you can wear red, white and blue, hold those flags and play with 11 Americans that want the same thing as you, it’s pretty special (tearing up). I’m not going to cry.
BETH DANIEL: I just want to add to what she said. Paula is so into the Solheim Cup that she was No. 1 in the points. I felt like she deserved to go out first, and she did us proud. (Applause).
Q. Juli, can you just take us through the 18th?
JULI INKSTER: Do we have to? Yeah, I lost the hole, but I won 14, 15, 16 and 17, so can I go through those?
Q. Michelle, if you could talk about two points in your match, matching Helen’s bomb on No. 2 and getting the eagle to get off to a good start and then digging down after she made it all square again?
MICHELLE WIE: I’m actually really glad to talk about No. 2. I think that my second shot was the best shot I’ve ever hit, ever. I mean, I gave myself a little pat on the back. I wasn’t ashamed to do that. She stuck it. I mean, she hit some shots today that were unbelievable. I mean, she was playing fantastic.
You know, I think I couldn’t have chosen a better opponent. I mean, I didn’t choose her, but I couldn’t have faced a better opponent. She was great. She just has so much experience under her belt, and playing against her was fabulous.
But when she stuck it to four feet, I looked at Patrick, and Patrick told me, my caddie told me, just aim a little bit left. I was like, okay, sure. I hit the shot and I aimed right at the flag. And after I got it in three feet, I was you know, I was pumped up. I was ready to go. (Applause).
Q. This is for anyone. Could you talk about the course long term as a possible host of other big tournaments down the line?
CRISTIE KERR: Yes, I played all 72 holes, thank you very much. It was my curse for playing nine hole practice rounds.
Anyways, I think Rich Harvest Farms is a great course. It’s certainly set up great for the Solheim Cup. I think it would be a great course for another tournament. You know, they just have to figure out which it would be.
We certainly enjoyed playing the course and enjoyed playing it for the Solheim. So that would be up to whatever Tour and the course, I guess.
BRITTANY LINCICOME: I liked it. It was nice and long. We can come back any time.
Q. For Michelle, given the way you played and the big stage, was this the best week of your career?
MICHELLE WIE: By far. I think it was the most fun I’ve had playing. I think I’ve said that multiple times this week, but every hole seemed like walking down 18 of a major championship times 100. I mean, these crowds were absolutely amazing, and to have 11 other team members as great as these people, it was just so fabulous. It was just unbelievable, just playing today and the intensity and just playing against such a great team. The Europeans were playing awesome.
You know, nothing was given, nothing was given out there. We had to fight hard. We had to do everything. So just the intensity, I’ve never felt anything like it before. It was definitely the highlight of my career.
JULI INKSTER: Your long career, that whole half a year. (Laughter).
Q. Michelle, just to briefly follow up on that, on TV there seemed to be some buzz that maybe this is a big turning point for you. Do you think that’s drawing too much from a few days of good golf, or do you think you did find something in yourself this week?
MICHELLE WIE: You know (shrugging), I mean, I feel like I played great this week. Hopefully that will carry over. But you never know about golf. You can have a good week, you can have a bad week. But I know that I had fun this week. I know I tried my hardest. I give my hardest every single week, and whatever the outcome is, I’m going to be happy with it as long as I try my hardest.
I’m happy with it this week because I tried my hardest, I gave it my 120 percent, and I’m going to do that from now on, and I always have done that. Whether the outcome is good or bad, I’m going to try and have fun and try my hardest.
Q. Beth, you didn’t hit a shot all week, but is this as mentally drained as you’ve ever been after a Solheim?
BETH DANIEL: I’ve been pretty mentally drained playing in them, too, but this was they about gave me a heart attack today.
You know, we got a text message from Curtis Strange yesterday afternoon, and I’ve been talking to Curtis and Sarah a little bit about their Ryder Cup experience. He’s kind of been in watching the team and that sort of thing, and so he sent a text. I think in the second sentence of the text, he goes, “you guys make my nervous.” I can tell Curtis Strange they made me more nervous than they made him. I am drained. I can honestly say I have not slept a full night’s sleep in a month, thinking about things (tearing up.) See, now I’m going to cry.
I’m not Nancy Lopez, though. I saw Ali today I thought I would sleep well last night because I said my work is done. I woke up at 4:11 every day for some reason, but I woke up at 4:11 again this morning thinking about what should I do with the closing ceremony?
What are we going to do at the closing ceremony and what if we win or what if we lose and what do I do, and I thought, this is so stupid, just deal with it as it comes along.
But it’s like all this preparation, I wanted things to be perfect, and Meg and Kelly have done a super job, and we’ve worked really, really hard the last year and a half to make this happen. (Applause).
Q. I wanted to ask you about you said last night, Beth, that your work was done, when really you knew that it wasn’t done. How hard did you have to work today and how much did you help your team today?
JULI INKSTER: Immensely.
BETH DANIEL: I don’t know that I helped them today. When I put the lineup in, I was out there for moral support. You know, a lot of the caddies said that they wanted how the holes were playing on the par 3s, so I left the first tee and I went over to 5 because that was a crucial hole. Sitting there and watching every group go through except for PC and Colin you were the first out so I just got what it was playing.
PAULA CREAMER: I lost the hole, though.
BETH DANIEL: Good thing I didn’t know that. I would have come up there ahead.
Paula was the first one out, and she and Colin are so good about like what it’s playing yardage wise and where the wind is coming from and that sort of thing. So as everybody went along, I just compiled notes. You know, they could play off of whatever helped them, whoever they knew how their game was.
But they wanted me to go to 5 because that hole was open. And I honestly think that we hit better shots on 5 today overall than the European team did.
But I mean, basically it was just moral support. But you know, Meg and Kelly and I tried to split up and go to groups that needed help, needed to see a friendly face and that sort of thing, and that was kind of our plan all along.
But they did it. They absolutely did it, all 12 of them.
BRITTANY LINCICOME: There’s no “I” in team.
EUROPEAN TEAM
Alison Nicholas, captain
Helen Alfredsson, Laura Davies, Diana Luna & Suzann Pettersen
BETHAN CUTLER: Please welcome Team Europe. Thanks for joining us, everyone. You must be very disappointed. Condolences, but what a great performance. You all played some really great golf out there. Alison, could you start off talking about how you felt the entire week went.
ALISON NICHOLAS: It’s been a fabulous week. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this team. They’ve been absolutely fantastic.
They’ve played their hearts out. Unfortunately the Americans birdied a few more holes than we did. But I can thank them for a great experience. They’re a great bunch of girls.
Q. Alison, two singles won. How do you feel about that?
ALISON NICHOLAS: Yes, absolutely better than none. (Laughter). Good reply, good reply.
Well, the girls tried their hardest, simple as that. They gave 100, and that’s all you can do. What’s more to say?
Q. Diana, talk about your victory today. Congratulations.
DIANA LUNA: Thank you. What’s the question?
Q. If you could just talk about your victory today.
DIANA LUNA: Of course. Well, I’m very, very glad of win my point, of course, for the team.
And of course, I’m feeling sorry that it was not enough. I would have liked every other of my teammates bring a point, as well. But of course, I’m very happy. I played very good, and it’s just not happen.
But we will do great next Solheim Cup, and they will bring many, many points, as well.
Q. For anyone who would care to answer, did Christina Kim get under your skin a little at any point this week?
LAURA DAVIES: She’s a lovely girl. She’s excitable. That’s the way it is. She’s good fun. She gets the crowds going. Good luck to her.
Q. Laura, I guess the good and the bad. Your tee shot on the par 3, 13th, it looked like it was kick in, almost an ace there. And then if you could talk to the tee shot on 17, what happened there?
LAURA DAVIES: Well, I decided two pars was – if I parred 17 and 18, and I tried to hit a 3 the idea was to hit 3 iron and leave myself a better 5 or a 6 iron second shot because it’s a tough hole.
And I rushed the tee shot on 17, and it was a shocker, but what can you do? I laid up, lobbed it on, two putts, but unfortunately Brittany made her par.
Q. How about the one on 13?
LAURA DAVIES: Yeah, perfect number for an 8 iron. We thought it was in, actually. It was like three or four inches away, but it went up and then it just spun away from the hole and rolled away on the deck, but it was only one hole unfortunately.
Q. Even though the end of the round didn’t go the way you wanted, was there any comfort today on at least ending on better footing than the Cup started earlier in the weekend for you?
LAURA DAVIES: No, I mean, at the time it looked like I had to win that game because you could just see the ball, and I was obviously very disappointed because as it turned out – it looked like it was going to be 6 all or 6½ one way or another, so obviously very disappointed not to get the full point.
But now as it turns out, it wasn’t that important. At the time it seemed like it was very important.
Q. Helen, you had a hard fought match against Michelle. Can you talk about the last couple of holes and how you both played?
HELEN ALFREDSSON: I think we both played pretty well. Obviously she was 2 up very quickly – 3 up actually, and I got it back to even.
And then, you know, she hit a driver 300 some yards on 15. I’m 44, I don’t hit it that far anymore. I never did, actually. (Laughter). And I just didn’t make my third shot close enough to match her birdie. And then I had a bad shot on 16, and on 17 I hit a good second shot, and we both tied on 18.
We both played pretty good. It was fun. She’s probably the youngest and I’m the oldest in the field, and it was fun. She’s a great player, a fantastic player.
Q. Laura, you played in all 11 of these Solheim Cups. We know all about the length of this course. Is this the toughest to stage a Solheim Cup do you think?
LAURA DAVIES: Undoubtedly, yeah. You couldn’t afford anything off the fairway. I mean, even being in the fairway half the time wasn’t good enough. I hit two fairways today and was directly behind trees. I’d say it’s pretty tough. (Laughter).
I hit my best drive on four that I’ve ever hit, and I played the hole about eight times, and I absolutely ripped down one there and I had to hit a 40 yard hook with a 6 iron. There’s some tough holes out there, but after all, it’s a great match play course and it tests every part of your game. The par 3s are brilliant; the 5s are good. It’s a really hard, tough course.
Q. Suzann, how important did you feel like your first match was in terms of getting things going, and just how disappointed were you in not pulling that one off?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: Well, obviously you want to go out there and give the rest of the team some comfort in putting the blues on the board.
I got off to a pretty good start, and it came down to putting at the end. I just didn’t play well enough today. Of course, it’s very disappointing not to bring your point to the board because you know every point is going to count when it all comes to the very end.
But I mean, hats off to them, they made a lot of birdies today.
Q. Were you tired at all after playing all five matches?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: I feel great.
Q. Laura, Juli said after her match that this was definitely going to be her last Solheim Cup. You two have both played in every single one of them. What has she meant to this, and how strange is it going to be to not see her in uniform in two years?
LAURA DAVIES: Obviously she’ll be missed by the American team. She’s an inspirational leader. The girls all love her. It doesn’t matter what age she is. They all had fun because she’s a fun person. Yeah, it will be strange, but the fact that she’s definitely not playing makes me think that she might be the captain or something, so she might be well involved or even a vice captain first time around.
I imagine we’ll see Juli in Ireland in two years’ time in some capacity.
Q. I realize you probably don’t have any plans to retire in the next decade or so, but have you changed your mind about being captain one day?
LAURA DAVIES: No.
Q. Why not?
LAURA DAVIES: I think it’s just all the agony you have to go through. Poor old Alison has been pulled through a hedge backwards this week. It looks like hard work, and I’ve always shied away from hard work. (Laughter).
Q. How could you resist popular demand, though?
LAURA DAVIES: Well, you just say no, don’t you?
It’s pretty easy.
Q. Laura, you have been known to change your mind, and you do like the odd bit of agro.
LAURA DAVIES: I’m not a big fan of aggravation. No, obviously, it’s a little bit irrelevant. I haven’t been asked to be the captain and it’s not something I aspire to do. I’d like to still be playing in Ireland. I’d like to come back to America, as ridiculous as that may sound, and do this all again. (Applause.)
Q. In fact, you sound less adamant than you did at the start of the week.
LAURA DAVIES: I’m not ever going to be the captain. (Laughter).
Q. Would you like to put a bet on it, Laura?
LAURA DAVIES: Any money you’d like. I’ll never be the captain.
QUICK QUOTES
Paula Creamer (USA) def. Suzann Pettersen (EUR), 3 & 2
Q. You strike me as a person who would love to go off first with that extra responsibility.
PAULA CREAMER: You know, I’ve always told Beth (Daniel), if you need me, I’m going to be right there. I’ve told every captain I’ve ever had. She’s done an amazing job with our lineup. And sending me out first and Angela right behind me and then Michelle, it’s a strong first pairing; and my one goal was to get the first point, and I did that.
Q. You played really well the Back 9 as well.
PAULA CREAMER: I did. There was a lot of great drama going on. We had putts on top of each other, great par saves by Suzann. Just the whole thing. It was a great match.
I played really well and put the pressure on her all day long.
Angela Stanford (USA) def. Becky Brewerton (EUR), 5 & 4
Q. You played great. I think 13 was the hole. Is that what you were telling me?
ANGELA STANFORD: I think so. I felt like I had a handle on the match, but Becky was the longer hitter, and I knew if we went to 15 or even 17, I might be in trouble.
So I needed that birdie, that putt on 15, and then to finish it right there on 14 was big.
Q. Have you been watching the board to see what everybody’s doing?
ANGELA STANFORD: A little bit. I mean, I think there’s more board than there needs to be.
Q. Well, there’s still a lot of golf to be played. Golf course dried out a little bit, a little bit more run in the fairways?
ANGELA STANFORD: Yeah. The wind was kind of coming from a direction, so it’s playing good.
Michelle Wie (USA) def. Helen Alfredsson (EUR), 1 up
Q. Michelle, bringing another point to the U.S. side. Can you describe basically what kind of match that was? It looked like a slugfest to me from start to finish.
MICHELLE WIE: I mean, it was tough. Helen is the best. God, Helen is just so tough to beat. I just did not want to come to the 18th hole, but it came down to that, and I did I what I needed to do, and I’m just glad I got a point for the U.S.
Q. You were 3 up after 6, things were on your side, then it started turning the other way. She made a couple mistakes. What did you say to yourself to dig down and keep finishing this thing up?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, I was playing good. If you look at the scores, birdies were made on holes. Helen just played fantastic in a couple holes. I think she played great the whole day. Like I said, it was tough. I had to pull some stuff on her.
Q. 3 0 1, that sounds pretty good for your first Solheim Cup.
MICHELLE WIE: That sounds great.
Juli Inkster (USA) halved with Gwladys Nocera (EUR)
Q. Juli, sounded like that was an incredibly exciting match out there.
JULI INKSTER: Yeah, we both played really well. You know, I just couldn’t get really a putt to go in that front side, and I was 2 down and I just kind of hung in there and missed a shorty on 12 to go 2 down. And then I birdied 14, 15 and 16, and then she bogeyed 17 to go 1 up, and then I dumped it in the lake here.
I played really well today, so I’m very excited.
Q. There’s been talk that this potentially could be your last Solheim Cup.
JULI INKSTER: It is.
Q. Are you saying that definitely?
JULI INKSTER: Well, I’m not doing a Brett Favre, but it is. I want to come out and watch. These girls are great. They’ve got a lot of young talent, and it needs to be passed down right now. But I had a great time, and I’m glad Beth and Meg thought enough of me to pick me. It’s been a great ride.
Q. Would being a captain in the next few years be a huge goal for you?
JULI INKSTER: Yeah, it definitely would be. I would love to do it. I’d love to be able to pick out the uniforms and hair ribbons and stuff like that. That’s my forte.
Q. You’re good at that.
JULI INKSTER: Yeah, I would love to be a captain someday.
Brittany Lang (USA) halved with Laura Davies (EUR)
Q. What did digging a half point out of this match against Laura Davies say you about and your personality and your golf game?
BRITTANY LANG: Well, I’ve made some big strides with my game. Coming down the stretch I was real solid. But to have halve it with Laura to win the last two holes, that’s just great. She’s a great player.
I made some progress from yesterday because I wasn’t too strong coming in. So I’m happy about that.
Q. Can you summarize what that experience has been like? It’s been stressful, but you’ve brought two points to the board.
BRITTANY LANG: Yeah, playing under the pressure coming down the stretch, I’ve never experienced this, and I need to, and this is exactly what’s going to take me to the next level. I’m very appreciative of it.
Q. Laura, condolences. This has got to be a hugely disappointing for you.
LAURA DAVIES: Well, it is. 17 I gave away. That was a really stupid tee shot. I was right in, and I should have just put it back in the bag but I just stood there anxious to get on with it because she was in very good position so I gave that one up.
18, I did exactly what I wanted to, 4 iron, layup with my sand iron, but the second one hit right on the top of the tree and I never imagined it would drop down. It dropped straight down.
Q. This must feel like a win for Brittany Lang. Does it feel like a loss for you?
LAURA DAVIES: 100 percent. I was never down. I was 3 up after 10 and playing nicely. Made a bit of a mess of 12, hit what I thought was a good tee shot and it was right in one of those big trees in the fairway. Other than that, though, hit it solid, and like I say, one bad shot on 17 and a big bit of bad luck on 18.
Catriona Matthew (EUR) def. Kristy McPherson (USA), 3 & 2
Q. Catriona, played tremendously well today.
CATRIONA MATTHEW: Yeah, kind of shaky the first three or four holes and then we both started playing well. It was kind of a close game the whole way, I just probably holed a few more putts than Kristy.
Q. In the last hour it looks like things have started to go against you guys.
CATRIONA MATTHEW: Yeah, I heard a few too many cheers. Hopefully we can get them going a little quieter, but there’s still a chance if we can turn a couple around.
Morgan Pressel (USA) def. Anna Nordqvist (EUR), 3 & 2
Q. Morgan, your victory clinched the Cup for the U.S.
MORGAN PRESSEL: I’m still speechless (tearing up). It’s very emotional. It’s been a long week, and we’ve played great, and I’m so proud of our team. They set me up to be able to win on that hole, and it’s great. It’s a great feeling.
Q. It’s been a hard week, but it’s worth it, isn’t it?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Every second of it, and it’s been I wasn’t sure if I was going to make the team for a while this year, so to come here and have Beth put me out late like I asked so I could get a point if I really needed it at the end and to come through was great.
Q. I think you’re showing us right now how much emotion there is on not such the U.S. side but the European side for the Solheim Cup.
MORGAN PRESSEL: We all feel that way. This is so important to us. It’s about pride. It’s not about Money List, it’s not about rankings, it’s not about any of that. This is about our country and it’s about our teammates and about our captains, and it’s just…
U.S. Captain Beth Daniel, quick quotes after the U.S. clinched victory
Q. What is the moment like for you?
BETH DANIEL: Well, you know what, most of the day I didn’t think it was going to happen (tearing up). It’s great.
Q. There was a while that it was looking like Europe had this thing going. Talk about your team’s ability to rally on the back nine.
BETH DANIEL: Well, through 12, 13 and 14 today, they just turned it around. I mean, that was definitely the turning point for us yesterday afternoon, it was the turning point for us today. And I just can’t even believe they’ve done this because it really for a while didn’t look like it was going to be possible.
Q. Was there something in particular that you said to get them back in the game?
BETH DANIEL: You know, Meg, Kelly and I just said, we need to stay positive today and we need to be positive for them and calm, and that’s all we did. They wanted par 3 yardages, how they were playing, and that’s kind of what I did. I just did what I did the rest of the week for them.
Q. A couple of performances that stand out in your mind today?
BETH DANIEL: Well, let me tell you, Juli Inkster’s comeback was pretty darned gutsy, and those three matches that went out the first three points were impressive because we really needed those. Helen Alfredsson gave Michelle Wie quite the match, and then for Brittany Lang to come back and tie Laura Davies in that match, all of those were huge.
But you know what, everybody has contributed to this, and I can’t be more proud of this team.
European Captain Alison Nicholas, after the U.S. clinched victory
ALISON NICHOLAS: They fought hard and they came out firing on all cylinders. I think the first matches were well under par. The girls tried to keep with them, but they just holed a few more putts than us.
I’ve had a great week (tearing up). The girls have played well. It’s been good fun. But obviously disappointed.
Q. Going into Sunday’s match if you knew you were going to be tied up when you were flying over here to play the Solheim Cup, would you have taken it?
ALISON NICHOLAS: Yeah, definitely. We’ve had a great week. We battled hard, and all you can do is take all the good points out of it. I’ve had a fun week. It’s been really an experience. The girls have played fantastically, not surprising. They’ve really battled hard. It’s tough to come over here and win, and to be honest with you, we were huge underdogs to start the week.
From that point of view, I think we’ve done ourselves proud.
