Experienced hand, seasoned campaigner, stalwart or veteran? Carin Koch has her own way of describing Catriona Matthew’s sturdy longevity. “She’s a little bit of a granny in our team,” said the European Solheim Cup captain with smiling reverence.
On her 46th birthday, Matthew was handed a nice little gift; a wild card for Koch’s European team that will be striving for an unprecedented third successive Solheim Cup victory over the USA in Germany next month.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present, I couldn’t be happier,” said Matthew, who will be making her eighth appearance in the Solheim Cup.
Matthew, an ever present in the European side since 2003, had been sitting in the automatic qualifying places on the world rankings for much of the season until a dip in form recently saw her slither behind Spain’s Carlota Ciganda on the order and left her relying on a pick from former team-mate Koch.
A trio of missed cuts in her last five LPGA Tour events didn’t help the cause but, given her wealth of experience and the fact that she revels in the cut-and-thrust of the matchplay format, it would have taken a brave woman not to pick this talismanic Scot.
Matthew, who gained the winning point in the 2003 match in Sweden and earned the half-point that won Europe the cup outright on American soil two years ago, boasts a shimmering record in the contest and her haul of five wins, one half and just one defeat in the singles underlines this competitive instinct. Indeed, Matthew’s only loss in the head-to-head ties came on her debut in the event at Muirfield Village back in 1998 when she lost 3&2 to Sherri Steinhauer.
“I thought the Solheim Cup was big then, but it just gets bigger and bigger as the years go by,” added Matthew, the former Women’s British Open champion from North Berwick.
Along with the dependable Matthew, Koch opted not to spring many surprises and chose Karine Icher, Caroline Masson and Caroline Hedwall to compliment the eight players who had already qualified automatically. Hedwall had not enjoyed her best season but the 26-year-old Swede was a sensation in the European romp two years ago when she became the first player in the history of the match to win all five of her ties.
“I think this team is just as strong as the one that won in Colorado two years ago,” suggested Matthew, who has been on three winning sides down the years. “On paper the Americans are always the favourites. It’s the pinnacle of women’s golf to play in the Solheim Cup, and there’s a big difference to be playing at home.
“For us in the States it’s a bit quiet. All you hear is Go USA Go. It will be nice to hear Go Europe Go at St Leon-Rot.”
Matthew may have the US down as favourites on that well-used sheet of paper – they lead the series 8-5 overall and have a higher collective world ranking – but the tide has certainly been turning in recent years and the 2013 triumph, the first by Europe away from home, was a major breakthrough. Juli Inkster, the US team captain who gave her two wild cards to Paul Creamer and Brittany Lang yesterday, is using the underdog tag to motive her side.
“They (Europe) are definitely favourites,” she said. “Until we win the cup again, that’s the way I’m treating it. We know they come to play with a lot of heart and a lot of fire. Our team needs to match that playing on foreign soil.”
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