She arrived in Colorado as a relatively unknown teenager whose inclusion was largely expected to serve as merely a novelty in this Solheim Cup. Considerable attention was placed upon her after European captain Liselotte Neumann included this remarkable young 17-year-old in her team, a decision that would see this Kettering born golfer become the youngest player in the history of the biennial competition.
Ultimately, it would be an historic three days for Europe. It was a week for firsts as they retained the Cup, while at the same time triumphantly routing the Americans for the first time in the United States by a record margin. That’s not to overlook the individual records that were also broken, not least the stunning achievement of the gutsy Swede Caroline Hedwall, who would win all five of her matches.
However, the attention will rightly fall upon that talented 17-year-old Englishwoman. She came to Colorado as an inexperienced underdog, with many doubting if she would be able to cope under the intense pressure of women’s golf most fabled stage, but Charley Hull leaves the 13th Solheim Cup as one of golf’s brightest and most popular stars.
It was quite a week for the blonde haired teenager, with the fresh face and bubbly personality. Before the tournament even got underway, Hull would charm the attentive audience in the pre-tournament press conference as she combined traits of confidence, humour and, perhaps, a certain kind of naivety when discussing the challenges of the week ahead: “It really is no different to hitting a tee shot at my home golf club. It’s the same swing and stuff, it’s a lot of people, obviously, but I’m just going to think of it like that.”
While that was at the time largely dismissed as being simply a perspective of a young girl with no real understanding of the cauldron that she was about to enter, the reality of her play more than suggested that this simple but effective outlook was more than just a playful sentiment.
On Saturday afternoon, with just a one point lead, Lotta Neumann made the bold decision to rest many of her experienced players before the Sunday Singles, to instead send out five of her record six rookies in the fourball session. It was a calculated manoeuvre that would prove to be a masterstroke, as the youthful Europeans stunned the American fans in attendance by winning all four matches, providing Europe with a five-point lead that would prove to be unassailable on Sunday.
It was Charley Hull who came to the forefront, alongside fellow rookie Jodi Ewart Shadoff, herself a fantastic prospect in the coming years. The two young Englishwomen would take on the star paring of Paula Creamer and Lexi Thompson, in a match that was of the utmost quality. In a tremendous performance, Hull would make six birdies as she and her partner defeated the illustrious American duo on the final hole, setting the tone for what would become the defining session of this Solheim.
However, it would be on Sunday that Hull would shine brightest.
Drawn to face Paula Creamer once again the second match of the Singles, Hull comfortably defeated the former U.S. Women’s Open champion with the most assured and imperious of performances. After being all-square after the opening six holes, Hull would produce a devastating rally of form that saw her win five of the next seven holes to put the match beyond the reach of a crushed Creamer. In the end, Hull would win this point by 5 and 4, and it could have so easily been a more dominant margin.
Afterwards, Hull asked for Creamer’s autograph on behalf of a friend back in England, and the defeated American had significant praise for her opponent:
“Charley’s going to be around for a long time, and it’s pretty neat to see kind of the future of their team, as well, grow,” Creamer said. “She was a good player and she represented her country very well.”
It would be easy to dismiss Hull’s achievements as a fluke, but it would be a highly ignorant assessment. Having turned professional in March, she would stunningly finish second in her first five events on the Ladies European Tour, gaining the attention of Lotta Neumann, who captained Hull in the Junior Solheim Cup two years ago.
She is an aggressive player, who views the game with a refreshing simplicity. Some may put that down to the innocence of youth, but Hull is a young woman who quite simply loves to play the game. It’s a perspective that allows her to be more relaxed on the course than many of her peers, and she appeared remarkably cool during the three days under the intense pressure of the situation.
Quite simply, she didn’t feel any nerves out there. She isn’t one to feel intimidated by any other player on the course, and she recalled a recent experience on the Ladies European Tour.
“Well I played with Karrie Webb and Laura Davis the other week in the European Masters and I look at it as I was playing good golf and it was a great experience to play with them, but when I got out there and played I thought, ‘you know, they’re just normal people who are just good golfers.’ … I don’t see any point in being really intimidated over it. But I don’t know, I’m still young.”
Perhaps her outlook can be simply explained by her youth, but it’s a commendable perspective, as is her philosophy on playing the game itself. “This is how I always look at golf,” Hull said. “I’m not going to die if I hit a bad shot. Just hit it, and find it, and hit it again.”
She hit it incredibly well over the three days, but it was her mature and respectful attitude that charmed observers, both European and American.
In a tournament that was often blighted by players and fans crossing that all too fine a line between celebration and ignorance, Hull handled herself with such class and integrity that many more experienced players could learn from.
In the words of Hall of Famer Judy Rankin, who was commentating on the event for the Golf Channel, said: “You have to like the fact that at 17 years of age and the newbie, she is not participating in the cheering and fist pumping. She is being respectful. I love the way this girl is handling that this week.”
Her attitude and maturity is a credit to her parents, and to herself. Having been introduced to the game by her Dad, a plasterer by trade, at the age of 2, Hull would win the UK National Ladies Championship at the age of 9. Soon, becoming a professional golfer was all she ever wanted to aspire to be, and her parents made the decision to pull her out of school at the age of 13 to receive home schooling for three years, allowing her the freedom to also play tournament golf.
Coming from a working class family, Hull’s background is not typical of the middle class golfing stereotype, which, in addition to her fantastic attitude and personality, could see her become an inspiring figure for young girls not just in England, but worldwide.
What next for Charley? She has accepted an invite to compete on the LPGA Tour this week in Canada, before plotting the next stage of her career. She decided not to take on any sponsorship deals this year in order to focus solely on her game. That will inevitably have to change, but there’s no reason why, with the right advice and support, she won’t be able to handle that progression with the assured nature that she has dealt with her whirlwind career thus far.
“I’ll be trying to get my LPGA Tour card later this year and if I get through I will be playing plenty of events over there next year,” she said.
“But I’m not sure if I want to live in the States. I like it where I am in Burton Latimer, which is a cool town near Kettering. At the moment I’m just travelling around with my dad and enjoying it. The rules say I have to be accompanied by an adult until I’m 18, which is next March. But I haven’t even thought what happens then. It’s all about the next round for me.”
It’s a next round that many of her new fans will follow with significant interest. It was an historic achievement for ladies European golf, but it will be the performance and grace of a refreshing young 17-year-old girl that will be particularly reflected upon in the years ahead.
In the words of winning Captain Lotta Neumann: “She had a special game and she brings a lot of energy to our team. She plays fearless and it was just awesome to have her on our team.
“I think we all love Charley.”
Charley Hull is a star, and she will shine bright for a long time to come.