There is never a shortage of drama and controversies in the golf world, be it at regular Tour events to patriotic showdowns. Recently, Leona Maguire called out the European Captain post the 2024 Solheim Cup for making her sit out the whole round on Saturday. After Maguire expressed her disappointment, Suzann Pettersen defended her decision.

In a recent post-game press conference at the Solheim Cup, Pettersen explained that she had made the choice based on her gut feeling and what she believed was best for the team. She acknowledged that it was a tough decision, but emphasized that she had confidence in all 12 players and needed to use her instincts to make the pairings.

Pettersen’s eight-word reply definitely made it clear that the captain was not sorry for her decision. “I’ve never lived my life regretting any decisions,” she said. She continued, “You’d rather play with your gut feel and your heart. Sometimes you get outplayed. There was a reason why Leona and the lineup in the back was what it was. We know what they’re capable of.”

Maguire being kept out of play for the whole day was a controversial move that raised some eyebrows. However, team captain Suzann Pettersen stood by her decision, saying it was a strategic choice to help the team compete better. “We know what they’re facing. If we were going to have a chance at this, we needed all 12 players, and we need — it would have been nice to have an anchor like Leona in the back knowing she can take it and get it done”, she said.

When directly asked why Leona Maguire was left out considering her significant contributions to the Solheim Cup in the past. Suzann Pettersen responded by saying it’s extremely difficult for her as a captain to sit any players on Team Europe. “The way it turned out, that’s how it turned out,” she said. You might be curious to know more about Maguire’s take on this and as we all know, there are always two sides to a story.

Leona Maguire’s take on Suzann Pettersen’s decision

It is never a good feeling to sit out a tournament when all your teammates are crushing it on the greens, and that was exactly the case with Leona Maguire. The Irish golfer had never missed a Solheim Cup session in her previous two starts. Surprisingly she played just two matches in 2024. Despite being a star for Europe in 2021 and 2023, Maguire was dropped for the opening foursomes session and then sat out all of day two after losing with Georgia Hall in the Friday afternoon fourballs.

“I feel like I’ve been playing really great golf all week in practice, and it was a bitter pill to swallow to be sat out for as many sessions as I was, but I thought I got a point to prove today,” she said. She rested her case by saying she did what her captain told her to. “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. ” 

What do you think about Pettersen’s decision? Do you think it affected the overall score of Team Europe? Let us know in the comment section below!