DUNSANY, Ireland – American rookie Ryann O’Toole continues to revel in the intense Solheim Cup spotlight.
O’Toole teamed with Morgan Pressel to defeat Karen Stupples and Christel Boeljon, 3 and 2, in Saturday morning foursomes at Killeen Castle. The rookie’s unbeaten (1-0-1) going into her Saturday afternoon fourballs match with Stacy Lewis as her partner against Sandra Gal and Boeljon.
“That’s what I saw in her at the U.S. Women’s Open and Safeway,” United States captain Rosie Jones said. “She has it in her. That’s why I picked her. I felt like she could really thrive in an environment like this. It does bring out the best in you, especially when you have partners and the support system out here. She wants to do well, she wants to show off, and she is.”
O’Toole and Pressel proved formidable, with O’Toole shrinking holes with her monster drives and Pressel dialing in laser approach shots.
“I wanted to get Morgan Pressel on the golf course,” Jones said of the unusual foursomes combination of long hitter/short hitter. “Usually, you want to put a player with matching likenesses in their golf game, ball off the tee, that kind of thing. It just makes it easier for the long-ball hitter, more comfortable for the short-ball hitter. In this situation, I really needed to get Pressel on the course, and O’Toole’s kind of our utility player this week. She’s stepped up every time I’ve asked her for something.”
O’Toole and Pressel went birdie-eagle-birdie to win the sixth, seventh and eighth holes, quite a run in alternate shot, the toughest match-play format. They also made back-to-back birdies at Nos. 14 and 15 to pull away.
