Charley Hull delivers best major performance but plays bridesmaid to Miyu Yamashita

Telegraph

3 days ago

For the second time in three years, Charley Hull had to face up to the agony of finishing second at the Women's Open after she was denied by the inspired Miyu Yamashita.
Yet credit to the Englishwoman for her remarkable recovery from a virus that saw her faint on the course three times in France last month and struggle to make it here feeling anywhere near 100 per cent. As bouncebacks go, this was so almost the stuff of legend as the 29-year-old shrugged off losing almost a stone in weight and 10 per cent in swing speed.
'Listen, coming into this week I didn't think I was going to make the cut,' Hull said, after a 69 left her on nine-under and two shots short. 'That's the truth of it. I wasn't hitting it very well and I couldn't prepare as well as I wanted to because I was feeling so poorly.
'I obviously collapsed three times at the last major [three weeks previously in Evian-les-Bains] and still wasn't feeling well when I got here on Sunday. So I think I've done well, and considering my mindset coming into it, I'm pretty proud of myself.'
As she should be. Naturally, there will be hurt, because this was her fourth runner-up finish in the majors and she is understandably fed up with being the bridesmaid. But when Hull reflects, she may well look on this as her best major to date.
Certainly, Hull should take so much from this, not least the gratitude from the South Wales links for giving it the gripping contest it craved as Royal Porthcawl hosted its biggest-ever event.
What a finale this was, as heavy early drizzle gave way to glorious sunshine, the winds gusted and the protagonists rose to the challenge. On any other day, against any other rival, Hull would probably have prevailed and lifted her first major title. But as Hull tore into the three-shot overnight deficit and the crowd responded to the home heroics, Yamashita, the world No 15 who turned 24 on Saturday, simply refused to move aside.
The Japanese player's only bogey was on the 17th when the trophy was all but secured and in tension such as this – and, indeed, in conditions such as this – this 70 signified a performance of the very highest quality. Yes, Yamashita was on the better side of the draw – the compiled scores of the later-early starters were almost two shots lower than the other half in the opening rounds – but nobody could deny that the winner was worthy.
The guts she displayed with the marauding Hull in pursuit was summed up on the 13th when she holed a 15-footer for a par. That came a few minutes after Hull had converted from a similar distance on the 14th and at that stage it appeared that the favourite of the galleries was about to draw level. 'I had goosebumps,' Hull said.
HERE WE GO! Charley Hull is closing the gap again! 💪 pic.twitter.com/0z3vyuWf7Q
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) August 3, 2025
Again with good reason. History was beckoning. Nobody in the female majors had come back and triumphed after being 11 shots behind at halfway. From there, Hull simply went for everything and so nearly pulled it off. Back-to-back bogeys on the 16th and 17th eventually did for her challenge, but how the locals took this gallant competitor to their hearts.
She may have been caught by Yamashita's compatriot Minami Katsu, but there was only one gallant swashbuckler out there making a fight of it.
'I feel like I'm kind of insane sometimes,' Hull said. 'I can hit wayward shots, but I can get up-and-down and stuff, so it's cool. I didn't look at the leaderboards once today and didn't even know where I was walking down the last. I was chasing and wanted to stay in that mindset. It didn't come off but to shoot a low score in today's weather was great anyway, but to do it under that pressure, I think that was really good from both of us.'
Hull moves up towards the world's top 10 and, for now, has consolidated her standing as British No 1. Lottie Woad was the pre-tournament favourite, despite this being her first major as a professional, and although the 21-year-old from Surrey did not quite live up to that ridiculous hype, she underlined her maturity and excellence with a tie for eighth on four-under after a 71.