Only six months after turning professional, and aged just 17, Charley Hull became the youngest ever participant at the 2013 Solheim Cup at Colorado Golf Club.
She was part of the first European team to beat the Americans on home soil and stole the show with her 5&4 victory over Paula Creamer in the singles. Charley then asked Paula to autograph a ball for a friend back home.
“I didn’t really feel nervous. It’s only a game after all. I just went out there, smashed some balls and played golf,” she said.
Her performance and personality won over the Americans, despite the home support: “They were really noisy, trying to put me off but it just made me think “I’ll show you”.”
Since then, the blonde bomber from Burton Latimer, near Kettering in Northamptonshire, has recorded her first professional victory on the Ladies European Tour, at the 2014 Lalla Meryem Cup in Agadir, Morocco, just a week before her 18th birthday. She also won the LET’s 2014 Order of Merit in December after being in contention to win at almost every tournament last year.
Charley’s standout memory of the last Solheim Cup was when she “holed the 17th against Lexi (Thompson) and Paula (Creamer)” during her fourball with Jodi Ewart-Shadoff.
She enjoyed the whole experience and didn’t feel under any extra pressure because of her age. “I didn’t really think about it, I had done the preparation and I went out and enjoyed myself. My teammates didn’t treat me any differently and we all socialised together and had a big party at the end.”
