Get to know Suzann Pettersen – Team Europe’s Solheim Cup captain
By Matt Coles
Two-time major champion, nine-time Solheim Cup player. Get to know European captain Suzann Pettersen here
Suzann Pettersen will lead the European Solheim Cup squad at Finca Cortesin in September, but who is the Team Europe captain?
Pettersen finished her professional golfing career in style, with her last action seeing her hole the winning putt for Team Europe in the 2019 Solheim Cup.
Bear in mind that the Norwegian had not seen much action for over a year and a half before that appearance at the Solheim, having been on maternity leave since giving birth to her son Herman.
The 42-year-old was announced captain of the European Solheim Cup team in November 2021.
“I am simply thrilled to be named Solheim Cup Captain. This is the biggest honour of my career,” Pettersen said following the announcement.
“My best golfing memories are from the Solheim Cup. You are out there with your team mates, your friends, and you all work for one goal. You fight for your friends and you share incredibly precious moments.
“I have played with and under many wonderful captains since I made my debut in the competition 19 years ago. Every Solheim has been special in its own way. You make friendships for life and memories you’ll never forget.
“Every captain is different and brings their unique skills to the table. I am very much looking forward to bringing my experience to the role and working hard over the next 22 months to defend the Cup on Spanish soil.”
This will be the 12th time that the Norwegian has had some involvement in the Solheim Cup. She played nine times, dating back to her debut in 2002.
She was part of the European teams that won in 2003, 2011, 2013 and 2019, holing the winning putt in the latter in a 14.5-13.5 victory.
Pettersen’s Solheim Cup pedigree speaks for itself. Only three women – Dame Laura Davies, Annika Sorenstam and Catriona Matthew – have scored more points than the Norwegian in the competition.
Pettersen has also been Vice Captain on two occasions. She was in the playing squad for the 2017 edition, but had to withdraw due to a back injury. The Norwegian stayed on as Vice Captain, before having the same role in 2021 as Team Europe won on American soil for only the second time in the competition’s history.
Away from the Solheim Cup, the 42-year-old won 21 professional titles, including two major championships.
She won the 2007 McDonald’s LPGA Championship, and then six years later, claimed the Evian Championship, in its first edition as a major.
As well as her two major wins, she also finished runner-up six times, including at the other three majors in the women’s game.
Following the postponement of the 2020 Ryder Cup to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Solheim Cup will revert back to even-numbered years.
The Solheim Cup will be played for the second consecutive year in 2024, where Pettersen will once again be captain for the Europeans, taking her squad to the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia.
Can Suzann Pettersen lead Team Europe to a third successive Solheim Cup win victory? Let us know your thoughts with a Tweet!
Matt Coles
Mention a European country, and Matt will tell you which resorts make the National Club Golfer Top 100s: European Resorts list. He might even throw in who designed the golf course and how many rooms the hotel has got at each one…
Matt got into the game of golf from a young age, following his old man to the local golf club. He fell for the sport, and now can’t seem to go a day without thinking about how to improve his game (Thanks Dad!). Matt has been a member of Howley Hall GC in Leeds since 2020, and is just about managing to maintain a single-figure handicap. He likes to remind people that he once broke 75, but won’t tell people that it was on a shortened course during the winter.
He moved to Leeds after graduating from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours degree in Sports Journalism. Matt joined NCG after almost five years travelling the world with the Professional Squash Association, working on events in all four corners of the globe.
Matt currently plays a Cobra King LTDx driver and RadSpeed 3-wood. TaylorMade monopolise the rest of his bag, with a SIM UDI, M5 irons and both Milled Grind and HI-TOE wedges, along with a Monza Redline putter. He uses a Vice Pro Plus golf ball, because he’s a bit different…
Away from golf, Matt is a Manchester United fan, and a keen runner, having ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon (his first and possibly last), in May 2023.
