Catriona Matthew hails 'amazing honour' for Europe's Solheim Cup side

Captain Catriona Matthew has expressed her delight over Europe’s Solheim Cup team winning one of the most-coveted awards in golf.

Catriona Matthew celebrates with her players and vice captains after Europe's win in the Solheim Cup at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. Picture: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images.

The Scot’s side landed the 2021 Golf Writers Trophy after topping a poll among members of the Association of Golf Writers.

World No 1 and US Open champion Jon Rahm was also in the running for the award, as was Richard Bland, who landed his first European Tour win at the 478th attempt in the Betfred British Masters.

But nearly 50 per cent of the vote went to the European team that landed a 15-13 victory over the US in the Solheim Cup at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.

The triumph saw Matthew, who had already led the side to a dramatic victory two years earlier on home soil at Gleneagles, become the first European captain to win the contest back-to-back.

This success was secured despite few European fans being in attendance due to Covid-19 restrictions, meaning the visiting players faced a vociferous US support.

Matthew said: “It is an amazing honour for the Solheim Cup team to win the Golf Writers’ Trophy. It was a great victory and it’s pleasing for it to be recognised by AGW members.

“To win it over Jon Rahm winning the US Open and getting to world No 1 and also over Richard Bland’s great story of winning on the European Tour for the first time in his 478th start is really nice.

“In fact, there were a lot of good stories in golf this year, so this really is a special honour for the team.”

It is the second time a European Solheim Cup team has been voted by the members for the coveted award, the first being in 1992 for the side’s success at Dalmahoy.

Lewine Mair, the first female and current President of the AGW, said: "Huge congratulations to Catriona Matthew and her team for winning our award.”

The trophy will be presented at the AGW’s annual dinner, to be held next July in St Andrews during the 150th Open Championship.

Matthew stepped down from the captaincy after the win in Ohio, with Norwegian Suzann Pettersen having been announced recently as her successor for the 2023 contest in Spain.

A message from the Editor:

Get a year of unlimited access to all of The Scotsman's sport coverage without the need for a full subscription. Expert analysis, exclusive interviews, live blogs, and 70 per cent fewer ads on Scotsman.com - all for less than £1 a week. Subscribe to us today https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions