Charley Hull writes her first column for Lady Golfer
Welcome to my first column for LG where I look forward to telling you all about my exploits on the course and hopefully a few wins!
It was great to chalk up my first victory in Morocco in March at the Lalla Meryem Cup. It was one of my goals to get a win before my 18th birthday and I managed it by four days so that gave me a boost.
Having got my first win it just makes you want to do it again and I came pretty close in Turkey last month where I finished third. I hit the ball well and managed to start holing a few putts towards the end of the last round but came up a few shots short of Valentine Derry.
There were a couple of nice surprises in Turkey especially when I got to enjoy my first helicopter ride at the start of the week and it was really cool to see the course from the air. I joked to the pilot that when I earn my first six million I’ll have to buy one!
The top three players also received complimentary business class flights to anywhere in the world from the sponsors, Turkish Airlines. My dad and I were flying straight to the United States so we could upgrade our flights to business which was great news for my dad who had been suffering with toothache all week and had root canal work performed in Antalya on the Saturday. So he could now relax and travel in style.
We went to the Masters on the Friday and followed my Woburn mate, Ian Poulter, and Rickie Fowler My dad and I have spent quite a bit of time in the States where I have played in a few events this season. We went to the Masters on the Friday, which was awesome, and we followed my Woburn mate, Ian Poulter, and Rickie Fowler. I love the way Rickie plays and that was the highlight of the day.
I’ve been loving playing in the States, I feel really comfortable over there and I would really like to play there full time. The crowds are great and I managed to play in the final threeball in Alabama with the eventual winner, Jessica Korda, and Michelle Wie. That was so much fun as we all played well and it was pretty amazing to finish 18 under and only finish third!
I was so proud of my good mates on tour, Amy Boulden and Kelsey MacDonald (right), who came through the qualifying for the US Open. Unfortunately the European qualifier clashed with me playing in the States so I will miss out on Pinehurst. The top five from the LET Money List qualify, and I finished 6th, while the top 25 in the world are also exempt, and I am now 33rd. So that is all quite frustrating, and I would have loved to play Pinehurst, but there will be other years.
This month we have some amazing tournaments which I can’t wait for. First up we have the Ladies European Masters at the Buckinghamshire which is almost on my doorstep, then one Major I have qualified for – the Women’s British Open at Royal Birkdale.
I played in a few amateur competitions there and I think that it is certainly the fairest links course that we play on and one of my favourites. You can see everything that you’re doing and there aren’t many funny bounces.
This will be my third Open having played at Hoylake as an amateur (I was actually one off the lead after the first round) and then the Old Course at St Andrews last year.
I’m a big Liverpool fan so I might try and fit in a stadium tour of Anfield, otherwise it will be business as usual with a practice round before the pro-am and then just go and play golf – hit it, find it and hit it again.
See you next month.
