The 2026 Solheim Cup at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands has been far from kind to Charley Hull. Paired with fellow Englishwoman Lottie Woad, the three-time LPGA winner has managed just half a point from their four matches at the time of writing, leaving plenty to be desired from the seasoned Brit. Yet, her struggles may not have come entirely out of the blue. Some comments Hull made back in April could offer an explanation.
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“I am a very individual player,” Hull told Kira K. Dixon for Augusta National’s ‘Under the Umbrellas’ series. “I’m going to openly say this, like, I’m not a team player. Like, I’m not. So it’s very hard for me to be in a team environment. I like to eat when I want to eat. I like to go to sleep when I want to go to sleep. I like to rock up to a practice session and go the golf course when I want to.
“But getting on that team bus every morning, it is a pretty cool atmosphere. And, like, it takes a little while to get used to, but it’s just once every two years, and it is very enjoyable.”
Clearly, playing as a team isn’t something that comes naturally to Charley Hull. Had it not been for her auto qualification in the team event, there’s a good chance Team Europe captain Anna Nordqvist may have overlooked Hull for the European squad. More importantly, her struggles are reflected in her performance.
Hull and Woad fell 4&3 to Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz in Friday morning’s foursomes after initially winning the opening hole. The English duo then surrendered a three-up lead against Yealimi Noh and Angel Yin in the afternoon fourballs, ultimately settling for a half. Despite the mixed results, captain Anna Nordqvist kept Hull and Woad together for Saturday, but the pairing suffered an even heavier defeat in the morning foursomes.
The duo lost 6&5 to Alison Lee and Lauren Coughlin, with the margin matching the largest victory in Solheim Cup foursomes history. Hull and Woad were paired again for Saturday afternoon’s fourballs against Noh and Andrea Lee, with the match closely contested early on. However, Hull’s recent headlines have extended well beyond her performances on the course.
False story about Charley Hull laid to rest
Before the event began, on Tuesday, Charley Hull arrived late to the first tee during a practice round at Bernardus Golf. Footage of the hurried arrival quickly made its way onto social media, with a Sky Sports caption reading, “We had drinks last night!” That appeared to fuel speculation that Hull had been out drinking before practice.
However, Europe’s leadership was quick to dismiss the suggestion. Vice-captain Mel Reid explained that Hull had simply misjudged her tee time.
“Charley Hull was the first one to bed last night at 8 o’clock and first one on the bus this morning,” Reid said. “She doesn’t even drink, so that’s a completely false story it’s been misquoted.”
Captain Anna Nordqvist also clarified that the first players had been sent ahead because of the walk to the third hole.
“Because we knew she was on the way,” Nordqvist said, confirming there was no real issue.
It appears even when Charley Hull’s off course, things tend to go awry. Hopefully, though, her game will improve and her approach to team events as well.