Georgia Hall selected as captain for European Solheim Cup team | Solheim Cup

England’s Georgia Hall will play in her fifth consecutive Solheim Cup after being selected as one of Suzann Pettersen’s four captain’s picks. Hall, 28, who joins fellow countrywoman Charley Hull in the Norwegian captain’s team, narrowly missed out on automatic qualification.

Pettersen also appointed Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist and Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen, both of whom played in Andalusia last year. The former has now been re-appointed vice-captain.

Switzerland’s Albanian Valenzuela has been selected as one of two rookies, along with automatic qualifier Germany’s Esther Henseleit, who will represent Europe when the competition begins on September 13 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia.

Hall, who has been automatically selected in her previous four appearances, told Sky Sports: “I’m really excited to get started. It’s always a great honour to represent Europe and be part of the team and hopefully we can win it four times in a row. Obviously getting selected the first time is a different experience but I feel like I’ve been playing well, some good results over the last few months, and again, it’s just going to be a great week and hopefully bring the trophy home.”

If Europe retains the trophy, it would be the first time in the competition’s history that a team has won the trophy four times in a row. Europe won in 2019 and 2021, and drew in Spain last year to retain the trophy.

Pettersen, speaking on Sky, said of Hall: “It might not be the biggest surprise, but she was always going to be in this team. She’s a very strong match player. She just has that in her naturally.

“She loves it. Solheim is one of the highlights of her career for her and she is eager to be there in a few weeks.”

Nordqvist becomes the Swede with the most caps in the competition with nine appearances. He said: “There is no greater honour than representing Europe in the Solheim Cup, so I am very happy to have been chosen to play in my ninth.”

It is Pedersen’s fourth appearance, while Valenzuela, 26, becomes the first Swiss player to represent Europe in the competition. She said: “It’s absolutely surreal and a dream come true. I’ve dreamed of being in the team since I was a kid.”

Hull, making her seventh appearance, qualified after a top 20 finish at the AIG Women’s Open to top the Ladies European Tour Solheim Cup points table.

Henseleit secured second place in the standings, while Céline Boutier, Maja Stark, Linn Grant, Leona Maguire, Carlota Ciganda and Madelene Sagström all return to the team via automatic selection.