Charley Hull is relishing the prospect of competing in her eighth consecutive Solheim Cup this week, according to Team Europe captain Anna Nordqvist, who has praised the English player's growing enthusiasm for the biennial contest.
At 30 years old, Hull has already established herself as one of Europe's most dependable performers in the competition. Her record speaks for itself: she topped Europe's scoring during the 2015 Solheim Cup, finished unbeaten when Europe triumphed at Gleneagles in 2019, and most recently delivered a dominant 6&4 victory over world No 1 Nelly Korda on the final day of the last contest.
Hull holds the distinction of having won more Solheim Cup matches than any other player before turning 30, with 15 victories to her name. She is one of two players on the European roster making their eighth appearance, alongside Spain's Carlota Ciganda, according to Sky Sports.
Nordqvist, speaking at her pre-event press conference, highlighted how Hull's mindset has shifted as she has matured within the team environment.
I've been part of basically every single team that Charley's been on and I will say it's been really nice to see how much she is starting to embrace the whole Solheim atmosphere. I've had multiple conversations with her and it is just nice to see how excited she is. It's just been really nice to see Charley excited and here buzzing about teeing it up this week.
The captain's decision to allow Hull extra preparation time at home in England before flying to the Netherlands on Monday reflects Nordqvist's thoughtful approach to squad management.
In the process leading up to the event, I wanted to make sure that every player got the opportunity to prepare as well for the event. I flew in on the Saturday, some of the US-based girls flew in on Sunday. For Charley, we decided that she was going to be better off preparing being in home in England. She flew in yesterday [Monday] but it has been very nice to see her.
Hull was selected as one of Nordqvist's captain's picks when the squad was confirmed on August 4, cementing her status as a cornerstone of Europe's bid to reclaim the trophy from Team USA.
The Tuesday morning tee time mix-up explained
Hull arrived slightly late to her practice round on Tuesday morning, a minor incident that sparked some discussion within the team. She was scheduled to begin at 9.30am local time alongside Lottie Woad, Maja Stark and Linn Grant but appeared at the tee a couple of minutes behind schedule before quickly catching up with her playing partners.
Team Europe vice-captain Mel Reid took responsibility for the delay, explaining the circumstances with good humour.
She was late to the tee because I was responsible for her, so I'll take a little bit of responsibility to that. She just thought her tee time was a little bit later. Trying to drag Charley Hull off a driving range is a feat in any tournament, especially a Solheim [Cup]. She was literally late because one, I couldn't drag her off the driving range, and, two, she thought her tee time was five minutes later than it was.
Nordqvist added further context to the situation, noting that the course layout at Bernardus Golf required players to navigate from the practice range to the opening hole.
I was on the first tee this morning and obviously I told the first three girls to go, because there's a little bit of a hike given that we start on the third hole and not the course first hole this week. It takes a good, five, 10 minutes to get out there [from the range]. I told the first tee to go ahead and then Charley would just catch up, because we knew she was on the way.
Europe's competitive advantage heading into the contest
Team Europe enters the competition with a notable strength in their squad composition. According to BBC Sport's preview, Europe has more players ranked inside the women's world top 10 than Team USA, giving Nordqvist's side a statistical edge in terms of ranking pedigree as they attempt to win back the trophy.
The 20th Solheim Cup is being held at Bernardus Golf in Cromvoirt, Netherlands, with the competition running from September 11 to 13, 2026. This represents Europe's opportunity to reclaim the trophy after losing the previous contest to the Americans.
Sky Sports coverage schedule
Sky Sports Golf will provide comprehensive live coverage across all three days of competition. On Friday and Saturday, coverage begins at 6am, with the opening foursomes match teeing off at 6.40am (7.40am local time). The afternoon fourballs are scheduled to start at 12.05pm (1.05pm local time) on both days, with coverage continuing until the final putt is holed.
Sunday's singles coverage commences at 9am, ahead of the opening tee shot at 10.10am. Sky Sports+ will broadcast the closing ceremony from 5.30pm on Sunday, following the crowning of the Solheim Cup winner. The opening ceremony on Thursday at 4.30pm will reveal the opening-day pairings.
What happens next
The opening ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, September 10, at 5pm local time, where the pairings for the first day's foursomes will be announced. The first competitive session begins on Friday, September 11, with foursomes matches followed by fourballs in the afternoon. Saturday follows the same format, while the final singles session takes place on Sunday, September 13, with the closing ceremony afterward at 6.15pm local time.
