Europe captain Suzann Pettersen springs shock in Friday’s opening matches against the United States
Ireland’s Leona Maguire left out of Europe’s opening foursomes matches at Solheim CupRory McIlroy right in the Irish Open mix after closing with three birdies The absence of Maguire is certain to turn heads, including among the US side.
The Irish golfer has the best record of Europe’s current Solheim Cup team, having won seven of her 10 matches in the competition. Maguire was the star of Europe’s last win in the United States, claiming four and a half points in Toledo in 2021. Yet Pettersen could point towards Maguire’s individual in 2024; she missed the cut in three of her five Majors and posted a best finish of tied 24th. “We have a great team,” Pettersen explained. “That is the best thing about it. All the players stand behind the decisions that are made. “Of course players are disappointed when they don’t get paired straight off the bat but this is not a sprint. There are lots of matches to be played. I am sure you will see Leona on the course but it is just about how it all pieced together this time around. She has a great record and she is a feisty Solheim player. We all know that but you will see her.“You have got to look at a little bit of gut feel. To sit Leona in a foursome, it’s a little bit of a tough call but at the same time you have to go with your gut. You have other ones who are very aligned on paper.” In match two, Europe’s Celine Boutier and Albane Valenzuela will take on Rose Zhang and Lauren Coughlin. Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho will combine for the US in the penultimate foursomes clash against Emily Pedersen and Maja Stark. The session is completed by the European duo of Linn Grant and Carlota Ciganda facing Lilia Vu and Sarah Schmelzel. The clear aim of the US captain Stacy Lewis is to break a horrible Solheim run. Europe triumphed in 2019 and 2021 before last year’s tie in Spain – the Americans enjoyed a clean sweep on Friday morning – was sufficient for Pettersen and her players to retain the trophy. Only two members of the US team, Alison Lee and Lexi Thompson, have sampled Solheim victory. “That is our biggest challenge this week,” said Lewis. “The majority of this group hasn’t gotten over the hump. World No 1 Nelly Korda will lead off the United States foursomes pairings alongside Allisen Corpuz . Photograph: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images “The girls have been talking about it. They won Junior Solheims, they have been on winning Curtis Cup teams. They have been on other winning teams before. They understand what it takes. A lot of them have won a lot of matches, too. We are getting more experience every year and experience is what you need in this event. So I like the direction we are going in.” Lewis, who is known for her statistical approach to pairings, admitted she has placed great faith in Korda at the head of the field. “I wanted to send some experience out first,” said the US captain. “There is no one better than No1 in the world. That pairing was very successful last year and they are comfortable together. So I have a lot of confidence in them.” Hull caused an element of European alarm on the eve of the competition by receiving treatment to her hip on the driving range. She later played down the incident. “I was just getting it cracked back into place,” Hull said. “It always pops out. We have a physio here with us all week so I thought I’d make the most of it.” Pressed on her occasionally unorthodox approach to time spent in the spotlight, Hull added: “If I like things, I like them for myself. If other people don’t like it, well, it’s not their life. I live my life the way I want to live it, not how anyone else wants me to live it. I think I just live like a normal person.” – GuardianIreland’s Leona Maguire left out of Europe’s opening foursomes matches at Solheim CupRory McIlroy right in the Irish Open mix after closing with three birdiesSpray foam insulation: as 300,000 UK homeowners are left in a tight spot, Irish surveyors have their own warnings Apple warned Government of ‘real threat to Ireland’ from countries trying to lure multinationals awaySolheim Cup 2024: Tee times, TV details, players to watchSophie Toscan du Plantier case: Failure to deliver justice ‘a deep shame,’ says Micheál MartinLatest news from the world of sport, along with the best in opinion from our outstanding team of sports writers
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