Women’s Open: Charley Hull a rare European hope at St Andrews after Olympics frustration

Next month, the world’s 10th-ranked woman will play her seventh Solheim Cup with most of her prospective European teammates struggling for the form required for the continent to retain the trophy for an unprecedented fourth time in a row.

Memories go back to 2021, when Anna Nordqvist thrillingly won at Carnoustie.

She led a European charge that carried through to arguably the continent’s greatest Solheim Cup success.

The Swede edged out compatriot Madelene Sagstrom and Britain’s Georgia Hall, with Dane Nanna Koerstz Madsen also posting a top-five finish on the Angus links.

Europe’s then-captain Catriona Matthew hailed these results as the perfect confidence booster before her team went to Toledo, without any support because of Covid restrictions, and sensationally retained the trophy.

This week, the current skipper Suzann Pettersen is desperate for a similar showing to bolster hopes of retaining that precious piece of cut crystal.

With the European and American teams being finalised next week for September’s showdown in Virginia, it is impossible not to view events here without the Solheim in mind.

For Pettersen, there must be concern. Europe’s leading player is world number eight Celine Boutier, but despite a brilliant start to the Olympic competition, the Frenchwoman is some way off her best.

She has not posted a top-10 placing since finishing runner-up at the World Championship in March.

Hall has fallen to 40th in the world with only one top 10 this year – third at the Aramco Series event at Centurion Club in July. The 2018 champion from Dorset was 12th last week, which does offer a measure of encouragement.

But Maja Stark, a hero in the drawn match at Finca Cortesin last year, missed the cut at Dundonald and the Swede’s share of 10th in Paris is her only top-10 placing since April.

Leona Maguire is another who is struggling despite winning the Aramco event. Since then, the Irish Solheim star has failed to post a top-50 placing in four tournaments.

Spaniard Carlota Ciganda has not recorded a high finish since coming sixth in April’s Chevron Championship, while Sagstrom has no top-10 placings since May.

Bucking the trend in this miserable summer for leading Europeans is Germany’s Esther Henseleit. She is nailed on for a Solheim debut in Virginia after collecting Olympic silver and then the runner-up spot at Dundonald.