Team Europe's Solheim Cup trash talk heats up

The trash talk between Europe and the USA for the 2019 Solheim Cup heated up at a press conference on Thursday.

Jack Seddon's picture
Fri, 13 Sep 2019
Team Europe's Solheim Cup trash talk heats up

The 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles in Scotland is now underway, as Europe battle the USA in the morning foursome matches, but the trash talk between the two sides certainly heated up prior to day one.

Earlier in the week, Danielle Kang of Team USA, made the headlines when she spoke about what it means to play in the Solheim Cup, as her response was pretty dark.

"You’re trying to take souls, you know," said Kang with a devilish smile. "You’re going there to make people cry at this point, just crush the other team. That’s the fun of it. We don’t ever get to do that. We’re always alone. We’re always by ourselves, playing for us and our caddie and our own little team. To have another person to understand what you feel when you hit a bad shot and to do it together, I just think that’s pretty incredible."

During a press conference on Thursday, Team Europe's captain's picks Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Suzann Pettersen were asked how they felt about Kang's fighting comments and what reaction it caused with the rest of the team.

“I think it’s just extra motivation, really, for us,” said Shadoff. “I don’t think there will be any tears on our team, just happiness.”

Pettersen then chipped in with, raising the trash-talk bar, saying: “And we’re just going to step on their necks.”

Everyone began to laugh, knowing that Pettersen's 'threat' was all in the spirit of the game, but the 38-year-old is one of Team Europe's most experienced players, being No. 4 on the all-time European team Solheim Cup points list with 19, and has a career record of 16-11-6.

In 2015, Pettersen was involved in probably the most controversial moment of the Solheim Cup that year, where she and her playing partner Charley Hull were up against Alison Lee and Brittany Lincicome. Lee missed a putt for birdie and had two feet left for the par, thinking it was given, she picked the ball up, but Pettersen said she had not given the putt, meaning Lee and Linicome therefore lost the hole and the match. Team USA went on to win the 2015 Solheim Cup and Pettersen ended up issuing an apology for her actions in that match.