Great Britain and Ireland's hopes of beating the United States in the June 8-10 Curtis Cup match at The Nairn Golf Club have taken a knock.
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| Charley Hull |
Susan Simpson, the Ladies Golf Union's Head of Golf Operations, confirmed today (Monday) that Charley Hull (Woburn), No 9 in the Women's World Amateur Rankings has chosen to make herself unavailable for selection and Georgia Hall will be invited to take her spot in the squad for the Nairn team trial from March 23-25."
Kettering-based Charley, who is only 15 years old, has accepted a sponsors' invitation extended to "five of the world's leading amateurs" to play in the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first major on the LPGA Tour, at Rancho Mirage, California from March 29 to April 1.
The invitation follows Miss Hull's victory in the Harder Hall Invitational tournament on the Florida Orange Blossom Tour in January and her high world ranking.
The Woburn GC player, winner of the English and Welsh women's open amateur stroke-play titles last year and one of Europe's outstanding prospects, has decided to opt out of the Curtis Cup selection trial to play in the professionals' Kraft Nabsico Championship.
There is not enough time between the events - one in Scotland, the other in California - to play in both.
The GB and I team of eight to play the Americans will be selected by the LGU international selectors on the Monday (March 26) at Nairn after watching the invited players in action over the previous three days.
The LGU has made it clear that only players who take part in the selection trial will be considered by the selectors for the GB and I team.
Miss Hull is in Spain this week for the Spanish women's amateur international championship which tees off on Wednesday.
She played for Europe in last year's Junior Solheim Cup match against the United States in Ireland and also for GB and I in the inaugural Junior Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent of Europe.
There are only two British and Irish players ahead of Charley Hull in the Women's World Amateur Rankings - No 7 Stephanie Meadow and No 8 Leona Maguire.
Georgia Hall, 15-year-old Remedy Oak GC player, who replaces Hull in the selection trial line-up at Nairn, reached the semi-finals of the British girls open amateur championship at Gullane last August.
She played for the winning England teams at both the girls' and women's home internationals last year.
She is No 686 in the WWAR.