(Reuters) – Team Europe captain Suzann Pettersen said her players had become “legends” after they retained the Solheim Cup with a remarkable 14-14 draw against Team USA on Sunday.
Carlota Ciganda’s stunning win over Nelly Korda on the 17th hole gave Europe the point they needed to secure the Cup for a third consecutive tournament.
Europe won the Solheim Cup in Ohio in 2021 and as defending champions needed 14 points to win, while the U.S. needed 14 1/2 points.
“Does it get any better than this? This is a dream come true,” Pettersen said. “We had a massive challenge ahead of us. We have created history yet again in the Solheim Cup. These girls are legends.”
The match at Finca Cortesin in Andalusia, Spain, was tied 8-8 heading into the Sunday singles, with momentum swinging back and forth between the teams throughout the tense final day.
The Europeans, who trailed 4-0 after the first session on Friday, had shown great heart in fighting back, said Pettersen.
“I just said: ‘You get knocked down, you stand back up.’ Life can be tough but it’s how you stand back up that shows character,” she added.
“I think it really shows the character of this team.”
Losing captain Stacy Lewis suggested future events should go to a playoff in the event of a tie.
“It obviously would be better TV,” she said. “It would be a better experience for the fans, whether it was a team playoff or something like that. I think that would be pretty cool.
“But if you want to stick with the history of the event and history of what the men do as well, you probably stick with retaining the Cup. I don’t know how I feel about that either way, to be honest.”
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
