Charley Hull took over St. Andrews Thursday afternoon on the AIG Ladies’s Open. She fired off an unimaginable 5-under 67 to guide the sector by one shot.
The Englishwoman picks up the place she left off from final yr’s AIG Ladies’s Open when Hull completed runner-up to Lilia Vu.
She made six birdies and one bogey on the day. Hull made the flip at 1-under, then received right into a groove on the again. She birdied the tenth, twelfth, fifteenth and 18th holes.
Hull stole the present along with her aviators and vaping on high of her spectacular spherical as she loved this unimaginable golf course.
“Yeah, it was a great deal of enjoyable on the market right now,” Hull mentioned. “Truly, earlier than my spherical, I used to be in there watching it on the TV after I noticed the scores, and I believed, how is she 4-under par; that was an unbelievable rating.”
“I’d take that now as a result of it was gusting loads on the vary, and I mentioned to my coach, looks like they may name it at any minute as a result of I don’t know the way the balls are staying on the greens. To go on the market, shoot 5-under, play fairly stable, it was loads of enjoyable.”
The 40 mph winds had been an enormous concern forward of Thursday’s spherical, however the R&A arrange the course effectively sufficient to keep away from stoppage of play. For Hull, she received the luck of the draw and felt like, down the stretch, it lastly let up.
“I’d say the final three holes had been a bit simpler,” she mentioned. “It dropped. However making the flip, it was actually robust. It was very robust, particularly once we had a hold-up on 11. It received actually chilly there, as effectively.”
Hull will not be often a hyperlinks golf participant, however she took the time and ready the previous few weeks along with her coach for this event.
“I’ve been working arduous on it the previous few weeks, so he’s received me ready and dealing on some three-quarter photographs,” Hull defined. “After the Olympics, I went to Turnberry and performed with my boyfriend there — that was enjoyable. It was getting me in preparation for hyperlinks golf. I performed effectively on the Scottish Open final week, got here fifth, and mentally beginning to prefer it.”
The most important change is her three-quarter photographs and staying affected person.
“Typically it’s blowing so arduous off the left, it’d sound foolish aiming 50 yards left, however it’s the best factor to do, and also you’ve simply received to belief your traces and your caddie,” she mentioned.
Hull performed alongside World No. 1 Nelly Korda and Vu. Korda shot a 4-under 68, whereas Vu recorded a 3-under 69.
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Photograph by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP by way of Getty Photos
This group was top-of-the-line pairings of the whole occasion, and they didn’t disappoint. Hull performed higher than each and famous how good it felt to carry out like that with two of the very best gamers on this planet.
“I really like taking part in with them two women,” Hull mentioned. “Nelly is an unbelievable ball striker, Lilia is a good putter. Even after they’re making some bogeys, you assume the entire subject finds this tough, so that you keep within the second. They’re two fast gamers, as effectively, so I take pleasure in that. However no, it’s all enjoyable.”
They may play collectively once more for Friday’s spherical as they tee off at 3:55 a.m. ET on the tenth gap.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in Via. For extra golf protection, comply with us @_PlayingThrough on all main social platforms. You may as well comply with her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @golf_girl_sl.
