WORLD NO 9 CHARLEY HULL RULES HERSELF OUT OF CURTIS CUP

            CHARLEY HULL ... would rather play in an LPGA Tour event than the Curtis Cup

                                                          Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
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.
Susan Simpson, the Ladies Golf Union's Head of Golf Operations, confirmed today 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.
On a personal note, it saddens me that such a young player, who will probably play in at least 20 Kraft Nabisco Championships before her professional career is over, has spurned the chance to gain Curtis Cup honours to put the stamp of quality on her CV as an amateur.
She might well be a professional by the time the 2014 Curtis Cup comes round - and the chance will have gone forever.
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. That victory earned her an invitation to an event on the LPGA No 2 tour (which used to be called the Futures Tour). That was leading to a direct clash with the Nairn selection trial weekend. The Kraft Nabisco is the week after the Nairn trial.
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 young prospects, has decided to opt out of the Curtis Cup selection trial
because of the time-and-distance factor.
The GB and I team of eight to play the Americans will be selected by the LGU Selection Panel on the Monday (March 26) at Nairn after watching the 12 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 places in 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.
It's an ill wind that blows nobody no good as the old saying goes and the decision by Charley Hull - who must have been 99.9 per cent certain of a place against the Americans - is good news for the rest of the team contenders, such as Kelsey MacDonald.
It means the Nairn born-and-bred player has one fewer quality player to beat if she is to achieve her dream of playing in a Curtis Cup match in her home town.
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.

SO, NOW WE KNOW THE G B AND I CURTIS CUP TEAM
OF EIGHT PLAYERS AND FOUR RESERVES WILL
DEFINITELY BE SELECTED FROM ONLY THE FOLLOWING
SELECTION TRIAL PLAYERS:

AMY BOULDEN (Conwy GC). Age 18.
HOLLY CLYBURN (Woodhall Spa GC). Age 20.
BRONTE LAW (Bramhall GC). Age 16.
LEONA MAGUIRE (Slieve Russell GC). Age 17.
LISA MAGUIRE (Slieve Russell GC). Age 17.
BECKY HARRIES (Haverfordwest GC). Age 23.
KELSEY MacDONALD (Nairn Dunbar GC). Age 21.
PAMELA PRETSWELL (Bothwell Castle). Age 22.
KELLY TIDY (Royal Birkdale GC). Age 19.
STEPHANIE MEADOW (Royal Portrush GC). Age 20.
LAUREN TAYLOR (Woburn GC). Age 17.
GEORGIA HALL (Remedy Oak GC). Age 15.


NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY 2012 KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP
The Kraft Nabisco Championship is pleased to announce that five of the world’s top amateur and college players have accepted sponsor invitations to play in the 2012 Kraft Nabisco Championship:

Moriya Jutanugarn (Thailand)
Ariya Jutanugarn (Thailand)
Jaye Marie Green (United States)
Austin Ernst (United States)
Charley Hull (England)

will compete in this year’s tournament.
Taylor Weirick
Account Executive
LEADER ENTERPRISES, INC.
3030 Old Ranch Pkwy., Suite 300
Seal Beach, California 90740

EDITOR'S NOTE: Is New Zealand too far away for the world No 1 amateur, 14-year-old, Lydia Ko to be invited by the Kraft Nabisco people?