Charley Hull ahead of the AIG Women’s Open: Why I don’t like links golf

Ahead of the 2025 AIG Women’s Open, Charley Hull talks pace of play, ‘unfair’ World Rankings, and why she didn’t bother with a yardage book during a practice round at Royal Porthcawl.

Charley Hull is always good for a juicy quote. She’s not one for being filtered, nor is she that bothered about pandering to the masses or following convention. She prefers to do things her way, which is why she has been more focused on running 5km this season than engaging in golf-specific forms of speed training.

As for how she has been preparing for her latest tilt at breaking her major duck at Royal Porthcawl, she’s got an interesting story about that too – as well as some controversial opinions about links golf which may well be worth digging out if she manages to get over the line come Sunday…

• What does Mother Nature have in store for the players at Royal Porthcawl?
• What’s the total purse for the AIG Women’s Open?

Q. You’ve had four seconds in majors now. You must be thinking it’s going to happen soon?

Yeah, 100%. I’ve always been knocking on the door. Just gotta get it done and dusted, but the only person who can do it is me, so I’ve just got to pull my head out of my ass and get it done.

Q. Do you like links courses?

No. Not in competitions. I like playing them with friends when you can laugh at everyone hitting bad shots, because I’m usually the one hitting the bad shots. But in a tournament, I like more of a parkland golf course. But I’ve just got to see it as a challenge.

I just find there’s a lot of luck on links golf courses, it’s not always the best player who wins. You don’t have to be the best ball-striker – you can scab it around and still get it round.

Q. Is that the No.1 goal for you now?

Definitely. I’d rather win a major than be World No.1 because I don’t think golf rankings can be super-fair – it all depends on how many tournaments you play in. But I think in the majors, you’re playing against everyone that week, and when you win, it’s pretty cool.

Q. Will you aim to play Porthcawl before the Women’s Open?

Yeah, I’ll try and get down there and play 18 holes. I don’t like to know a golf course too well because then you start thinking too much. I like to know it just enough, but not enough to overthink it. I don’t even use the yardage book when I play.

Q. Who did you look up to when you were younger?

Tiger Woods, Seve [Ballesteros].

Q. Seve was interesting to you?
Yeah, my dad always used to get me watching the Seve short game DVDs as a kid. I wish golf was like that now because I think it was way more interesting back when Seve played. These days it’s all just about how far you hit the golf ball.

Back then it was all about how to shape the shot and create all the shots and play blades and all that. I think golf was 10 times more interesting back then.

Q. Do you think you’d have won more if everybody had to play blades?

Yep, 100%.

Q. When people ask why you haven’t won a major, maybe the reason is driver technology?

Yeah, I’m quite a good driver of the golf ball, and my favourite driver was one I had when I was young. I always used to play the small-headed ones. Even these days, I hate it when they bring too big a driver out. I just like old school. I think if this was the ’80s or the ’90s, I would have been really good.

Q. Do you build your schedule around the majors now?

I do, but I build my schedule mostly around being at home, because I don’t like being away from home. I’m such a home person. If I didn’t play golf, I would just love to just live in England or the UK. I feel like, because I’ve been travelling since I was 12 years old or whatever, it takes a toll on you. I just do two weeks on, two weeks off here and there.

Q. Why do you think you’re so popular with fans?

It’s mad. I’m just being myself. If you like me, you like me. If you don’t, lump it. Too many people in life, especially in sport, they think they’ve got to maintain some type of image. Just be yourself. People’s opinions don’t pay bills, so you’ve got to be yourself.

Q. Across all tours, they’re trying to make golf quicker at the moment. Do you think it’s working?

I don’t know. I think the way they’re doing it is a bit weird. If it was up to me, I’d cut the field down to 100 players every week, then make the cut 50 and play in two-balls.

Q. How would you tackle tardy pace of play?

Shot penalties, and if you get caught too often, at a certain point, you’d lose your card for the year and go back to Q-School. That’s the way I’d do it.

Charley Hull’s Women’s Open record

2012: MC (Royal Liverpool)
2013: MC (St Andrews)
2014: T12 (Royal Birkdale)
2015: T31 (Turnberry)
2016: T17 (Woburn)
2017: T16 (Kingsbarns)
2018: MC (Royal Lytham & St Annes)
2019: T24 (Woburn)
2020: MC (Royal Troon)
2021: MC (Carnoustie)
2022: T22 (Muirfield)
2023: 2 (Walton Heath)
2024: T20 (St Andrews)

• Full field: Who’s teeing up at Royal Porthcawl this week?
• The keys holes – where the tournament be won or lost