'Hull must step up and lead Team Europe at Solheim Cup'

Dame Laura Davies has called upon Charley Hull to "step up and lead" Team Europe at the Solheim Cup in September.

European skipper Anna Nordqvist named her four captain's picks on Monday to complete the home side's 12-player lineup that will try to win back the trophy from the USA from September 11-13 in the Netherlands.

Hull and Spain's Carlota Ciganda have the most Solheim Cup experience among the European squad, with both set to play at the event for an eighth time.

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England's Hull has enjoyed a strong 2026, finishing in the top 10 at three of the five majors, most recently claiming a share of sixth at the AIG Women's Open over the weekend.

Davies, Europe's record holder for the most appearances at the Solheim Cup, told the Sky Sports Golf Podcast: "It's a really strong looking team. You've got the experience, some of them are young but really well experienced in Solheim Cup golf. I think it's a lovely blend.

"I think Charley will be the leader again and we'll need her to perform like she did before. I know it was in a losing performance over there in Virginia, but she's got to step up and lead that team out."

Europe are without the experience of Georgia Hall and Madelene Sagstrom, with the former having given birth earlier this year and the latter due to do so in September.

And while Nordqvist leads as captain, the event will end a run of nine successive Solheim Cup playing appearances for the Swede.

Davies added: "We've lost a few of the stalwarts, obviously Georgia Hall with the baby and Sagstrom, another big loss. The captain obviously not playing.

"But what we have got is a good nucleus of players that have played a lot of Solheim Cups and then the younger players that are just keen as mustard and want to get out there and play."

Nordqvist, who also appeared on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast after finalising her squad, is also expecting Hull to play a key role for the home team.

"You're just going to let Charley be Charley," Nordqvist said.

"It was really nice to see how much she really enjoyed the Solheim Cup last time in Washington. I know we lost, but just seeing her enjoy the whole experience, light up the team room just with her personality.

"It's great to see her playing probably the best golf of her life, being up there in majors. She lives for those moments, so I can't wait to see her tee it up."

'I wouldn't want to play against Maguire'

Among Nordqvist's four captain's picks was Ireland's Leona Maguire, who top scored as an unbeaten rookie in Europe's away win over Team USA in 2021 before making further appearances in 2023 and 2024.

The 31-year-old was the highest-ranked European player in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings not to qualify automatically, having posted three top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour this season but missed the cut in four of the five majors.

Maguire was the only player with past Solheim Cup experience named among Nordqvist's picks, announced live on Sky Sports, with Spain's Julia Lopez Ramirez, France's Nastasia Nadaud and England's Mimi Rhodes the other selections.

Nordqvist said: "Leona just has that little special thing that you need in the Solheim Cup. I wouldn't want to play against her. I'm glad she's on my team.

"Her having such a good start in her first Solheim Cup in Inverness, we started calling her MVP because I think she had the most points or she played the most matches.

"But she's just fearless and she's kind of like just suited for that game. She has the mentality and the toughness of just bringing out the best when she needs it."

Davies insisted that Maguire was "an absolute lock" as a captain's pick, pointing to her strong record in the competition.

"She hasn't (had the best season), I think she'd freely admit that," Davies said. "But what she has got is eight and a half points out of 12 Solheim Cup matches played.

"That's all you need to see there. That's batting at around just under 70 per cent. That's an unbelievable Solheim Cup record.

"And let's not forget, in Virginia, she didn't get many points at all. So, before that, she was batting at probably 85, 90 per cent winning percentage.

"She was an absolute lock, no question about it."

Who will win the Solheim Cup? Watch Team Europe's bid to regain the trophy exclusively live on Sky Sports, with all three days live from September 11-13 on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream golf and more with no contract.