Leona Maguire didn’t need any extra motivation, but she got it anyway.
The spark came from her European captain.
Suzann Pettersen had expressed her disappointment in Maguire, the Irish star who had not missed a match in two consecutive Solheim Cups. On Saturday she said Maguire was not “the rock I had hoped for” and opted to bench Maguire for three of the team’s four sessions in favour of players in better form.
A fired-up Maguire responded on Sunday by delivering her first point of the competition with a convincing 4-and-3 singles win over Ally Ewing. Although Maguire’s victory was quickly rendered meaningless by Lilia Vu’s decisive half-point for the victorious American side, Maguire was proud to have rocked.
“I felt like I played some great golf today,” Maguire said. “I feel like I’ve played really great all week in training, and it was a bitter pill to swallow to miss so many sessions, but I thought I had a point to prove today.”
Maguire said Pettersen “didn’t give many reasons” for why she was on the bench for most of the week, although she did have some theories.
“I felt like I was a little bit short and didn’t make enough birdies,” Maguire said, “but I think I proved today that there’s more than one way to skin a cat, and I think I made enough birdies today.”
Five to be exact. Maguire paused and finished her thought: “Captain’s decision. I’m a team player and all I could do today was come out and win my point, and that’s what I did.”
Pettersen was asked again about her decision to sit Maguire during the runners-up press conference on Sunday night. The Swedish leader said she had no regrets and was confident Maguire could earn a significant point at the end of the tee sheet.
“It’s extremely difficult to keep players in this team,” Pettersen said. “The way it went, the way it went.”
