Alison Nicholas insists she plans to stand aside as captain following Europe's memorable Solheim Cup triumph over America on Sunday and revealed a pep talk from Suzann Pettersen had played a crucial part in the triumph.
In a thrilling climax at Killeen Castle, Europe produced a sensational late charge in the singles matches to snatch a 15-13 victory over their US counterparts.
Pettersen led the way as she birdied the final three holes of her match with Michelle Wie to clinch an unlikely point while rookie Caroline Hedwall fought back from two down against Ryann O'Toole to secure a vital half.
Fellow rookie Azahara Munoz then got Europe over the line as she held her nerve to edge out Angela Stanford sparking wild celebrations in County Meath as Europe ended a run of three successive defeats in the event.
Nicholas was full of praise for the trio and disclosed that Pettersen had rallied the troops ahead of the dramatic finale.
Pep talk
"We had some rain delays and we were in the clubhouse, and when they were taking the players back out to their positions to restart the three of them (Pettersen, Hedwall and Munoz) shared a cart and they had a pep talk with one another and they said 'come on, we need our points'," she explained to Sky Sports News.
"Suzann initiated that and her leadership, and the fact the rookies took it on board, was the perfect scenario."
But Nicholas was full of praise for her entire team, adding: "We went out on won it, we won the singles fair and square and that is something I've always believed we can do, we've just lacked a bit of belief in ourselves to actually take them on head to head.
"But now I think they can go forward and I think we should look to two years' time and see if we can win it in America for the first time."
However, the diminutive 49-year-old insisted she would not be leading the team at the 2013 match in Colorado.
"No, I've done my time," she smiled. "I'm very happy and I need to hand the baton on. It's important that other players deserve that opportunity and honour."
Pettersen praise
Pettersen was quick to pay tribute to the European skipper, labelling her an inspiration to the players.
"She (Nicholas) can leave now, she's got her win," the Norwegian stated. "I've known Ally for a while, last time we came close and this time she wanted it desperately.
"She's great; she's tiny but she's fiery. She has guts and she'll do what she thinks is right for the team and sometimes that's making hard calls which is not always a pleasant thing to do but she can do it and she stands up for herself.
"She's a great leader and a great inspiration for the rest of us."
Pettersen also revealed the celebrations following the triumph stretched long into the night, adding: "It's sad it's over because it's so much fun and it was a great party last night. You can't ask for any better, especially here in Ireland in front of all the crowds.
"It's amazing, it was almost an impossible challenge and we pulled it off so it's definitely one of the best ones I've ever been a part of."
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