Charley Hull talks weight loss, Lottie Woad success, a Porthcawl blooper with Georgia Hall

USA Today

2 days ago

While this is a first look of Royal Porthcawl for most of the field, Charley Hull played a junior event there in 2011 with Georgia Hall.
Charley Hull returns to a major championship stage this week after leaving the last one on a stretcher. Hull, who met with the press on the eve of the biggest women's sporting event ever held in Wales, said she's lost four kilograms (9 pounds) over the past three weeks and 8 mph of swing speed.
"I'm not hitting it the best coming into this week," said Hull ahead of the AIG Women's British Open at Royal Porthcawl, "which is very frustrating because it's an event I've been looking forward to playing all year. I've just got to go out there with what I've got."
Hull came down with a nasty virus at the Amundi Evian Championship in France earlier this month and was carted off the course after a fainting spell on what was her back nine.
"Every time I stood up, I fainted," said Hull, who first returned to action last week at the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open. "That's why I to had to get a stretcher out, off, which was quite embarrassing, but there you go. Caught on IV drip on me. They took my blood pressure. It was 80/50 which is quite low. My blood sugar was 0.4. I think I just had a really bad virus."
Unable to work out on doctor's orders, Hull said she's feeling better but not quite yet up to strength. It didn't help that she recently tweaked her back taking a box out of her car and hasn't been able to rehab.
While this is a first look of Royal Porthcawl for most of the field, Hull played it back in 2011 at the Junior Vagliano alongside good friend Georgia Hall, a future Women's British Open champion.
"I remember in the practice round I always used to play with a No. 3 marker and three orange dots, and in tournament my ball would be a 1," said Hull. "So we went out in foursomes. On the third hole, I've hit it right, but the day before I've hit it right in the practice round.
"Anyway, she gets down there and just sees three dots on the golf ball and she whacks on the green. I get up to the green, I think I've got a putt to win the hole. I look at ball, and I said, 'George, we've got No. 3 here. I play with 1.' She's like, 'It's got your marks.' I said, 'Yeah, that's my ball I lost yesterday in the practice round.' Lost the hole immediately. It was quite funny."
Though she's never been a big fan of links golf, Hull praised Porthcawl and noted that Welshman Nigel Edwards, a three-time Walker Cup captain, helped her out during a practice round in May at the championship's media day.
Currently No. 20 in the world, Hull took a share of 12th at both the U.S. Women's Open and KPMG Women's PGA before falling ill after a fourth-place finish at the KPMG Women's Irish Open.
"I feel like the last two years I've been on autopilot, where even when I'm hitting it bad, I've got enough confidence to go out and rip it," said Hull, before rattling off her recent finishes for the press.
"It annoys me because it's such an important part this time of the season, and it's something I look forward to all year. And it's just like, damn it. At the end of the day, just get me making a few birdies to start with and I think I'll get my confidence back straightaway."
At last week's Scottish Open, Hull played the first two rounds alongside English sensation Lottie Woad, who in only her second start as a pro is the betting favorite in Wales. Woad counted Hull among her sporting heroes growing up and will surely be taken by what Hull had to say about her recent play on Wednesday.
"I think what Lottie Woad has done is absolutely unbelievable," said Hull. "I played with her in the practice rounds in Ireland, and I played with her in the first two rounds last week, and at the minute I feel like she's playing with such confidence she can't miss a shot. I think it's great to see. She's a breath of fresh air for the game.
"At the end of the day, I want to win the tournament and everything, but I don't care when people say, oh, I'm still here. I am still here. I'm out there enjoying it. No, I'm actually really proud of Lottie for what she's done. That's like goose bumps kind of stuff."