THE MODERATOR: I am pleased to be joined here in the Solheim Cup media center by Team USA, featuring captain Stacy Lewis, Megan Khang, Danielle Kang, and Lilia Vu.
Stacy, talk about the grind and determination of this squad up here.
STACY LEWIS: Yeah, these girls played their hearts out today. It wasn't really looking good there for a lot of the front nine. I just kept telling them to be patient. We played the back nine better all week, and that's what they did. They just kept fighting and kept fighting, and they literally did everything I could have asked of them this week.
I'm just so proud to be their captain. It was so fun to watch them play, to learn a little bit more about them, learn about their personalities, and it's just been such a fun week from my side.
Q. Megan, what an opening match, to be able to take that opening tee shot and deliver what you did in that first match. What was it like, that feeling, the adrenaline?
MEGAN KHANG: You know, obviously, Stacy asked me last night if I'd like to take the first tee time, and I said, you've got it. Whatever you need from me, I'm ready for it.
Obviously, I played Linn, who's a pretty far hitter. I went the lay-up route and she smoked whatever wood it was over the green.
I knew it was going to be a fun one, and to get the birdie on the first to go 1-up after one, it was huge.
Just wanted to kind of feed and lead the team with some red on the board.
Q. Danielle, you've seen a few of these Solheim Cup squads. What are your overall thoughts on this team and your Sunday singles match today?
DANIELLE KANG: In as many words as possible, I was so honored to be on this team, to experience what I experienced this week. People kept asking me about my shoes and why I wrote everyone's name on there, and no, it didn't come like that.
But there was not a single person, caddies, players, staff, captain, assistant captains that I didn't want to represent. I wanted to represent them the best that I can, and I was playing something bigger than I. I played the best I have all year, so I'm very proud.
Q. Lilia, to be a rookie and to have the performances that you did over the last couple of days, just overall what was your experience like at your first Solheim Cup?
LILIA VU: I mean, I'm sad that I wasn't able to get a point for our team the first three matches that I played in, but I was really happy to kind of drive off of DK's energy yesterday. Our match against Carlota and Linn, we were 7-under through nine and they were 8-under through nine. It was insane, and I think I just ran off the energy we had yesterday afternoon into today. 8-under through 10, my bad.
Q. Stacy, what did you tell the team after you guys broke down on the 17th green?
STACY LEWIS: Yeah, you know, I made them all cry, which that was not my intent. I just told them how proud I was of them and just the fact that -- I don't want to sound like a sore loser, but it was a tie, and I think that's a lot for this team to build off of, especially coming over here, coming into this environment with five rookies, a very young and inexperienced team, I mean, this week was really, really good for them.
I just wanted to tell them how proud I was of them. Fortunately, we only have to wait another year to go get this thing back.
Q. Megan, I'm wondering what your message was to Nelly on the green there.
MEGAN KHANG: On 17?
Q. On 17, yeah.
MEGAN KHANG: Honestly, I pretty much told her, Carlota hit two great shots in after one unfortunate one, and so I told her, you can't get too down on yourself. Those were two incredible shots. At the end of the day, Carlota made birdie to win the hole. She didn't give it away. So don't look at it that way. Just wanted to make sure her spirits were high.
Q. There's been a few first things that happened here this year. First tie, first 4-0 in the foursomes. What does it mean for you next year?
STACY LEWIS: I mean, the foursomes this week, I think you look at these teams, and I think the tide is shifting a little bit as far as our teams being more built for foursomes and theirs being more built for four-ball. I think it's just the way the players are a little bit right now.
But just the way we were able to figure out some pairings this week. You know, we now have some pairings actually going forward. There's no trial-and-error again going into '24.
I couldn't be more pleased with this week. I really wouldn't go back and do much different with the pairings.
You look even today how many matches went down to 17, to 18. Things really could have been quite a bit different with one or two shots here and there.
Q. The level of golf here this week, and media was mentioning how many birdies, the level of golf of both teams was incredible this week, no?
MEGAN KHANG: I mean, honestly, I think each and every one of us contributed to this team room. It's been an unbelievable experience this week. I will say this being my third Solheim, this is probably -- even though obviously unfortunately we lost, but it was still the best Solheim teams I've been on, from Stacy and the captains, the assistant captains, to each and every one of us out here just giving it our all. I think we all took what Stacy told us to heart, where we play hard, play to win, and most importantly have fun.
We may not have gotten the Cup back, but we definitely had fun out there, and we kind of looked at each other and really just enjoyed the moments and built each other up while doing so.
DANIELLE KANG: Listen, when I'm old and gray one day and look back, I'm going to remember our team rooms where Megan and Angel and all these girls were hyping us up, and I wish you guys had a camera. I wish people could experience what I experienced last night and this week because it was unbelievable.
Like Lilia said, even playing the Europeans, I will remember it. Looking back, Suzann telling me, if it was any other match, it would have already been done, but we are 10-under, 13-under going in. Those are the moments we live for and we built.
That's something that I want to remember. When I retire, when I'm all done with things, it's not about who won the Cup, it's about the moment, and it built it.
Q. Stacy, back when these Cup ideas started back in the '20s, they were more exhibitions than competitions. That's kind of changed now; they're more competitions. Do you think they should change the rules in regards to ties should be had or they should be able to play it out so that we have a winner and a loser?
STACY LEWIS: Yeah, I was sitting there at closing ceremonies next to Mollie. We were talking about whether there should be -- when it is a tie, should it be a playoff, should it be a retain the Cup. I don't know, I mean, it obviously would be better TV. It would be a better experience for the fans if there was a -- whether it was a team playoff or something like that, I think that would be pretty cool.
But if you want to stick with the history of the event and history of what the men do as well, you probably stick with retaining the Cup.
I don't know how I feel about that either way, to be honest.
Q. The process of picking your team, will you have the same process in 2024, or will you want to make some tweaks to that?
STACY LEWIS: No, the process worked. When I got this call, my number one thing for these girls, it wasn't winning the Cup, it was to make sure they had a great experience and they had fun, and we succeeded at that. I do know that.
We're so close. So no, we're going to go through the same process. We'll go to the drawing board again, come up with some new ideas to make it a little bit different behind the scenes, continue to make it fun, but the process of the pairings and how we went about putting players together, what order they put in, I don't see a whole lot of that changing because it worked this year. It works, and we're moving in the right direction, and I'm really excited about the future of this U.S. Team.
DANIELLE KANG: Can I comment on that really quick? I know people like to decide on the process on whether we win or lose, but without Stacy's process, I think we could have gotten crushed because she gave us the best opportunity and best chance of percentages to go up against what they brought, and if we have to shoot 10-under to go up against Carlota Ciganda, we did. If we lost, that's okay. Same thing with Linn Grant, same thing with Maja Stark. She put us up together with the probabilities and gave us the best chance to go up against them.
Both teams played their hearts out, and I hope that we keep the process for 2024. Coming for you.
Q. The team seems like they're in good spirits. I'm curious how you're all processing a tie. Does it feel like a win? Does it feel like a loss? What are the emotions amongst you and the rest of the team?
STACY LEWIS: I mean, for me, the whole week in general feels like a win. Just where we were coming from out of Toledo to where this team is at now, it was a win, and that's all that matters.
I think it's more about these girls, where they are mentally, how they felt about this. They were crying because it meant something to them, and that's all I was trying to achieve this week.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports