Charley Hull's Late Tee Time at Solheim Cup Sparks 'Drinks' Clip — Vice-Captain Reid Sets the Record Straight
Charley Hull turned up late for her Tuesday practice round at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands, and within hours a clip was doing the rounds suggesting the reason was a late night.
The 2026 Solheim Cup — the biennial team match between Europe and the United States, this year staged at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands — does not begin until Friday, but Hull's Tuesday tee time already generated the kind of chatter the European side could do without. An online clip showed Hull jokingly blaming "drinks" from the night before for her late arrival, while appearing to point towards her caddie (The Guardian).
European vice-captain Mel Reid shut that down quickly. Reid said Hull was the first to bed at eight o'clock the night before, the first on the team bus that morning, and does not drink. The real reason for the delay, according to Reid, was a combination of a misread schedule and Hull's reluctance to leave the practice range — she thought her tee time was five minutes later than it was. Reid also took responsibility, saying she was the one assigned to manage Hull's timing that morning (The Guardian).
European captain Anna Nordqvist offered further context: Hull had been given permission to prepare at home in England and flew into the Netherlands the night before, later than her teammates. She drove off alone at Bernardus Golf and caught up with her teammates after arriving on the 1st tee minutes behind them (The Guardian).
This is not the first time Hull's punctuality at a Solheim Cup has caused a stir. Golf Digest reported that Hull was late getting to the first tee to help start a previous Solheim Cup, creating anxious moments for Europe and forcing her captain to wait (Golf Digest).
Hull, 30, has also been candid about her temperament in team settings. In April she admitted she is "not a team player" despite enjoying the Solheim Cup experience (Yahoo Sports). Her Solheim Cup career record stands at 7 wins, 6 losses and 1 halved match — solid, if not dominant. She and Lottie Woad are the two members of the world's top 10 in the European side this week (The Guardian).
For a casual fan, the Solheim Cup is golf's answer to the Ryder Cup — the same format of match play (hole-by-hole rather than stroke totals), the same partisan energy, but contested by women. Hull's late arrival is the sort of side story that fills a quiet Tuesday, but it will be quickly forgotten if she produces on the course. Europe will need her: the United States arrive with a strong side, and every point matters in a format where a single halved hole can swing the overall result.
Reid's swift response was as much about controlling the temperature as correcting the record. A viral clip of a star player joking about drinks on the eve of a major team event is exactly the kind of distraction a vice-captain is paid to snuff out.
