Suzann Pettersen caused a surprise as Europe began its defence of the Solheim Cup by leaving Leona Maguire out of the opening foursome session in Virginia.
Pettersen has turned to Charley Hull to lead Europe on Friday morning at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Hull and European debutant Esther Henseleit will raise the curtain on the event against world number one Kelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz. Pettersen’s trust in Hull comes after the 28-year-old was photographed on Thursday lighting a cigarette with the help of a spectator.
“She’s old enough to make those decisions,” Pettersen said of Hull’s tendency to smoke during competitions. “She interacts great with the fans here. She found exactly what she needed in the one guy standing there. So she’s having a blast.”
“Charley and Esther are a great fit. They are good friends and get along great. It’s nice to get Charley going; she doesn’t like sitting around waiting. The two of them are a great combination.”
Maguire’s absence will certainly raise eyebrows, including on the US team. The Irish golfer has the best record on Europe’s current Solheim Cup team, winning seven of her ten matches in the competition. Maguire was the star of the last European victory in the United States, scoring four and a half points in Toledo in 2021.
Nevertheless, Pettersen could match Maguire’s individual record in 2024; she missed the cut in three of her five majors and achieved a best result of shared 24th place.
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Donald “very happy to hear” that Rahm has appealed against fines
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Luke Donald, captain of the European team, has welcomed Jon Rahm’s decision to appeal against the fines imposed for his move to LIV Golf and remain eligible for the Ryder Cup.
In order to participate in the DP World Tour events, Rahm had to either pay his fines or appeal them before registration for the Spanish Open closed at noon on Wednesday.
The two-time major winner did this just in time to gain entry into the Spanish Open field and also plans to play in the Dunhill Links Championship and the Andalucía Masters to fulfill his DP membership requirements.
“From my perspective, I’m very happy that he made that decision,” Donald said. “I know he was a little indecisive.” PA Media
“We have a great team,” Pettersen explained. “That’s the best thing about it. All the players are behind the decisions that have been made. Of course the players are disappointed if they are not paired up right at the start, but this is not a sprint. There are a lot of games to come. I’m sure you will see Leona on the course, but this time it’s just about how everything fits together. She has a great record and is a spirited Solheim player. We all know that, but you will see her.
“You have to listen to your gut feeling a little bit. Putting Leona on the bench in a foursome is a difficult decision, but at the same time you have to listen to your gut feeling. There are others who are very similar on paper.”
In the second match, Europeans Céline Boutier and Albane Valenzuela will face Rose Zhang and Lauren Coughlin. Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho will face Emily Pedersen and Maja Stark in the USA’s penultimate foursome. Rounding out the session will be the European duo Linn Grant and Carlota Ciganda, who will face Lilia Vu and Sarah Schmelzel.
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US captain Stacy Lewis’s clear aim is to end a terrible Solheim streak. Europe triumphed in 2019 and 2021 before last year’s tie in Spain – the Americans won by a landslide on Friday morning – was enough for Pettersen and her players to defend the trophy. Only two members of the US team, Alison Lee and Lexi Thompson, have won Solheim before.
“That’s our biggest challenge this week,” Lewis said. “Most of this group is still over the hump. The girls have talked about it. They’ve won Junior Solheims, they’ve been on winning Curtis Cup teams. They’ve been on other winning teams. They know what it takes. A lot of them have won a lot of matches, too. We get more experience every year, and experience is what you need in this event. So I like the direction we’re going.”
Lewis, who is known for her statistical approach to matchups, admitted she has a lot of confidence in Korda at the top of the field. “I wanted to bring some experience first,” said the US captain. “There is no one better than the world No. 1. This pairing was very successful last year and they feel good together, so I have a lot of confidence in them.”
Hull caused a stir across Europe on the eve of the competition when she received treatment on her hip on the driving range. She later played down the incident. “I’ve just had it put back in place,” Hull said. “It keeps popping out. We’ve got a physiotherapist here all week so I thought I’d make the most of it.”
Asked about her sometimes unorthodox approach to her time in the spotlight, Hull added: “If I like something, I like it for myself. If other people don’t like it, then it’s not their life. I live my life the way I want to live it, not the way anyone else wants me to live it. I think I just live like a normal person.”
