Solheim Cup: Europe Teams Set To Face US ‘Strongest Ever’ – says Georgia Hall

• Europe team to face US ‘strongest ever’, says Georgia Hall.

Europe’s Solheim Cup team is “the strongest ever” and has “no weak links”, according to Georgia Hall as she prepares for this week’s contest against the United States in Spain.

England’s Hall is making her fourth appearance, with Europe looking to win for a record third consecutive time.

“You can put out any of us at any time and we’ll perform well,” said Hall.

“That makes it easier for [captain] Suzann [Pettersen] when picking pairings, so we’re very confident.”

It was a thought echoed by her fellow Englishwoman Charley Hull, who is playing her sixth Solheim Cup at the age of 27.

She added: “The team has a lot of depth. Before, we’ve had a lot of strong players but sometimes the back end wasn’t as strong. I feel like we’re strong all the way through [this time].”

The European team features two players ranked in the top 10 in the world, with Celine Boutier at five and Hull at eight, while Linn Grant, Hall and Leona Maguire are in the top 20.

The US side has four players in the top 20 – Lilia Vu at two, Nelly Korda at three, Allisen Corpuz at nine and Megan Khang at 14 – as well as a better overall average world ranking – but captain Stacey Lewis insisted: “Europe is the favourite.

“They have won the last two, we’re on their soil, they have a great team that has a ton of experience in this event. So you look at history [and] it doesn’t bode well for us, but hopefully we’ll surprise a lot of people.”

Hall is keen to rekindle her partnership with Frenchwoman Boutier, having won all three points when they were paired together at the last home match in 2019 before picking up a half point in their one outing at the 2021 contest.

“The last two Solheim Cups we’ve been paired together, we’ve never lost a match,” Hall, who has won seven and a half points from 13 matches, told BBC Sport.

“Celine has had such a great season [winning three LPGA Tour titles, including her first major]. We get on great so it would be great to be partnered with her.”

Meanwhile, Hall says it has been “weird” for her American partner Ryann O’Toole to be in the European team room at this week’s Solheim Cup in Spain.

Hall and O’Toole, who was unbeaten when winning three points for the US in the 2011 edition of the biennial match, recently started a relationship together.

“She’s half Irish, her name is Irish so I class her as European,” laughed Hall.

“I didn’t think I’d be in that situation but she’ll be cheering for me and she’ll want me to win my points.”

Hall, who had previously been in a relationship with her now former caddie Harry Tyrrell, told the LPGA website that she still feels her sexuality “surprises” some of her fans but says it was “important” to for her to share her news on social media.

The relationship with O’Toole blossomed after they had been paired in the same group in a couple of events last year.