Catriona Matthew gets to pick half of the 12-player team that represents Europe Sept. 4-6 at the Solheim Cup at Inverness, and while that seems like an awful lot of control, as it stands now, most of those picks seem to fly off the page: Anna Nordqvist, Matilda Castren, Mel Reid, Celine Boutier and Leona Maguire.
Of course, Nordqvist holds a share of the lead at the AIG Women’s Open Championship with Nanna Koertz Madsen. Madelene Sagstrom is only two strokes behind. One of them might not require a pick after Sunday’s final round at Carnoustie.
After Annika Sorenstam blew away the field at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open by eight strokes, some have suggested that perhaps the greatest player of the modern era could be a potential pick. After all, Matthew certainly went out-side-the-box with Suzann Pettersen two years ago, who hadn’t played much golf at all in 18 months due to the birth of her son, and became the hero at Gleneagles, sinking the winning putt for Europe.
Matthew looked like a genius captain.
Will she do something extreme again?
Sorenstam’s husband and business manager Mike McGee says it’s not happening.
“While Annika is playing well and enjoying competition again,” wrote McGee, “she is focused on leading the European Ping Junior Solheim Cup team. She feels she had her Solheim ‘day in the sun’ and that there are plenty of active players who deserve the opportunity to represent Europe.”
A sensible response from the 72-time winner who retired from the tour more than a decade ago. Sorenstam boasts a 22-11-4 Solheim record in eight appearances. She captained the 2017 team in Des Moines, Iowa.