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ABERDEEN STANDARD INVESTMENTS LADIES SCOTTISH OPEN

July 24, 2018

Charley Hull

Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland

MODERATOR: Charley, welcome to the Aberdeen Standard Investment Ladies Scottish Open Media Centre. You're coming in with some great form to this week. I'm just going to go through like I did before. You've played the Scottish Open twice last year, tied 44th. And then 2015 your best result was in 8th place. So you're making your third appearance this week. You're world ranked number 25. You're the highest ranked Brit in the field and you've made 15 of 15 cuts this year on the LPGA. You've been vocal about enjoying links golf. You must be pretty pleased to be here.

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, I am happy to be here. I obviously haven't played links golf since the British Open last year, so it's always nice to come back to it, especially after playing in America and those pattern golf courses. So it's good. And I feel like my game is in good shape.

MODERATOR: You've obviously played the majority of your schedule on the LPGA this year. Do you feel like you have to change your game for this week at Gullane.

CHARLEY HULL: I haven't been out on the golf course yet. But obviously it's going to probably be windy because it's links golf and stuff, but I've been playing this golf course since I was younger, so I know what kind of shots I've always got in the bag, and I don't really need to change it too much.

MODERATOR: You have three Top 10s in the three majors this year. Do you class this as a major event and one that you want to prepare for in the same way and one that you want to do well in and of course win?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah. It's a big event. Obviously next week is the major, the British Open, the Ricoh Women's British Open, and to me I think this is a good warmup for it, but I also want to do really well. It is a big event. Anything in the UK to me is a big event.

MODERATOR: Were you able to watch the men two weeks ago?

CHARLEY HULL: No, I didn't. I was playing myself in America.

MODERATOR: Okay. We'll open it up for questions.

Q. Charley, this is your third time. How much bigger has this tournament got in the space of three years?
CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, definitely a lot bigger since -- was it 2015 I played?

MODERATOR: 2015.

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah. 2015 was the first time I played in it, and it's definitely grown a lot since then. Last year was pretty big, and so is this year. I think playing two weeks after the men helps because the setup and everything is great.

Q. Can you do a then-and-now comparison, if you would?
CHARLEY HULL: I don't know really. I'm just amazed. Obviously you have more like tents and stuff. In the past there was nothing, and now there is a lot more. I think the field is a lot stronger because it's a half -- is it half LPGA tour?

MODERATOR: Exactly.

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, half LPGA Tour. So a few of them have come over because of the British Open next week. It's a good warmup.

MODERATOR: One thing to note as well, sorry to interrupt. But this year is 10 of the top 15 in the world. And three years ago there was two of the Top 100.

CHARLEY HULL: Oh, wow.

MODERATOR: So this field strength has increased significantly.

Q. Charley, you said that you're used to playing links golf. This course and every links course is playing really fast running. Can you talk a bit about the challenges you faced when you were younger and was it a challenge you enjoy?
CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, really when I was playing links golf when I was younger, it was always in the rain and the wind. So not the sunshine. But yeah, you have to have the challenges of you gotta get your landing spots correct because it's obviously going to be rolling a lot more and plays a lot more from the bunkers into the trouble. I haven't seen the golf course yet, so I don't know what it's playing like, but if it is bouncy, when it is bouncy, stuff can run into rough even. So you have to be accurate and you have to be clever with the way you're hitting your shots, like low, into the winds and stuff. And even downwind sometimes you gotta hit it lower because when you hit it higher, it knocks the ball down. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, especially with the golf course being bouncy, you have to make sure you get your landing positions correct.

Q. As Tom said, you are the highest ranked British player coming into this event. We tend of forget how young you still are. How would you assess your career, your professional career as it stands right now?
CHARLEY HULL: Well, yeah, pretty good. I feel like I'm playing well this year. I've had five Top 10s and all of them -- three Top 10s in majors. I played well in the last major, and I don't know what the last major was actually. The PGA. Yeah, I played well there, and I'm just getting closer and closer, so I know what it takes now. I prefer the major golf courses. I prefer harder golf courses. I don't like them when they're short and fat, but when they're long and tight, I prefer it.

Q. Would you think looking ahead to next week a major on a links course, would that be your best opportunity given where you are in golf over in the States? Are you a woman for all seasons?
CHARLEY HULL: Well, I've always struggled on links golf ever since I was a kid. To be honest, when I was a kid I never enjoyed it, but as I've played on the LPGA, I come back. I don't play it as often and I missed it. I wish we could play more because it's fun. Do you know what I mean? I think I've grown up and I've got more shots now, but back then I just wanted to hit it high and far and stop it dead, but you've gotta have more imagination. So next week will be a challenge, I think, and I think a British Open would be kind of a harder one to win. But I feel like as my game has matured, I'm getting closer to perform better in a British Open if you know what I mean.

Q. As you say, you've matured in your game. What's the kind of biggest difference you've noticed in the last couple of years?
CHARLEY HULL: I don't know. I'm more patient on the golf course. And my caddy is really good. And I don't know. You just notice little things.

Q. Looking ahead to next week, the last women's British Open in England was at Woburn and the spotlight was on you. What did you learn from that that you can use^ ?
CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, it was quite nerve wracking at Woburn because you have a lot of high expectations. But when I played the golf course at Woburn in the Ricoh, I've never played Woburn that short before. They put the tees forward. I'm used to playing off the back. So it was strange really. I remember I played the week after off the back, which was like 7200 -- it was 7000 something, and I shot like 5-under, and I couldn't make that playing off the ladies' tees, which is funny. But that's the way it goes sometimes. But the nerve-wracking tee shots and stuff because of the pressure, you learn stuff from that. And you know, I'd done well at British Open at Birkdale, which I think was two years before that when I was 17, and it's a different pressure than playing at your home golf course.

Q. Lytham is a tough golf course. Have you actually played there?
CHARLEY HULL: Played there when I was nine, but I can't remember it. I'm looking forward to it, though. I've heard good things about it.

Q. And Charley, you've appeared in various men's pro ams and other things. Have you ever played with Molinari?
CHARLEY HULL: No. I've played with his brother, though.

Q. Oh, that's where I remember.
CHARLEY HULL: Yeah.

Q. Brittany Lincicome played on the PGA tour last week. Is that something you would fancy?
CHARLEY HULL: She played last week?

Q. She played in the event, yeah.
CHARLEY HULL: Oh, nice. I thought that was next year.

Q. No. She played next week.
CHARLEY HULL: How did she get on?

Q. She missed the cut. Is that something you would fancy at some point?
CHARLEY HULL: I don't really think about it. I want to play well in the women's game first before venturing into men's. But she's obviously won majors and stuff, and she's a great player, so she deserves to play it, but for me I don't even want to comment on that. So what did she shoot, score in the first round?

MODERATOR: I think she was five over total. So probably about right there.

CHARLEY HULL: What was the cut?

MODERATOR: 4-under. It was a low cut.

CHARLEY HULL: 71. So she went into the second round?

MODERATOR: Yeah. I think so. She had a hole-out eagle.

Q. Do you see any value in the women's game of women going against the men or is it a bit kind of --
CHARLEY HULL: I don't know. I don't really think about it. I think it's good. I don't really think about it, though. I just play my own game. I very rarely look at the scores or anything. I'm not very interested. As long as I'm playing good golf, that's fine.

Q. If we named five players on the LPGA Tour, would you have any clue where they were on the ^ Order of Merit?
CHARLEY HULL: I don't even know where I am on the Order of Merit^ . I didn't even know where I was in the world ranking until you told me.

MODERATOR: Well, you are 25. You are the highest ranked Brit. I think that's good for everyone. Thanks for joining us, Charley.

CHARLEY HULL: Thanks, guys.

MODERATOR: Best of luck this week.

CHARLEY HULL: I thought Brittany Lincicome was next year, not this year.

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