WATCH: Solheim Cup Captain Suzann Pettersen Nearly Taken Out By Golf Ball

Charley Hull's second shot on the par 5 eighth came close to taking out her European captain

A golf ball hits the rock and runs through
(Image credit: @LPGA)

The Solheim Cup has already thrown up plenty of drama and, during the four balls session on Saturday, we saw yet another chaotic moment when, at the par 5 eighth, Charley Hull almost took out European captain, Suzann Pettersen.

Striking her drive down the centre of the fairway, Hull was left with an iron into the green and, upon striking the ball, it seemed that the Englishwoman liked what she saw as she gave out a club twirl.

However, the ball was in fact heading right and, as it came to the end of its flight, two individuals sat on a rock started to disperse. As it turned out, one of those individuals was the European captain, Pettersen, who managed a much cleaner dismount than the guy next to her!

Who was the guy next to her, you may ask? Well, it was in fact Pettersen's husband, Christian Ringvold, who had already made a name for himself after stopping a sprinkler which had accidently started firing water on the 16th hole.

Thankfully, both were paying attention, even though it seemed there was no shout of fore, with Hull's ball eventually catapulting off the rock and just short of the cart path. In the end, she went on to make a par, with her partner, Leona Maguire, carding a birdie to win the hole for Europe.

Going into the tournament, a lot had been made about Hull's fitness, with the 27-year-old claiming that she was only able to play at “80 percent” during practice rounds at Finca Cortesin, due to a neck injury.

In Friday's foursomes session, Hull and her partner, Emily Pedersen, were defeated 5&4 by Ally Ewing and Cheyenne Knight, with Hull missing the Friday four balls and Saturday's foursomes. In the afternoon on Saturday she did return though, with Hull and Maguire comfortably ahead of Nelly Korda and Ewing.

Matt Cradock
Staff Writer

Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover weekend news and social media, as well as help look after Golf Monthly’s many buyers’ guides and equipment reviews.

Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round came in 2016, where he shot a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine holes. He currently plays at Witney Lakes in Oxfordshire and his favourite player is Rory McIlroy, despite nearly being struck by his second shot at the 17th during the 2015 BMW PGA Championship.

Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?

Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°

Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2, 15°, 19°

Hybrid: Adams Super Hybrid, 22°

Irons: Mizuno MP54, 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°

Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x