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AIG WOMENâ€™S BRITISH OPEN

July 31, 2019

Charley Hull

Milton Keynes, United Kingdom

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to Charley Hull, club member for the last eight years. Last time you were here, you finished 17th. Can you tell us a little bit about how it feels to be back here so soon.

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, it feels really good. It feels quite strange because I was only here three years ago, and usually it takes longer to come out to a club, but I'm looking forward to it. I like the way they've set the golf course this year. They've actually set it up a lot longer than last time, so it's nice.

THE MODERATOR: That was one of the things last time; you said you'd been playing off the back tees. Have you been practising a different way this time?

CHARLEY HULL: No, I've only played it twice this year, so I'm not really -- I played the other ones a lot more because they're a lot tighter and stuff, and I like them, but this one is real good. But I just felt like I'd not try and make it a big thing, I just wanted to prepare for a normal tournament how I would.

THE MODERATOR: So only a couple times this year.

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, I played it for the first time media day and the second time in -- what was it, second time a few weeks ago.

THE MODERATOR: Being almost a home tournament for you, are you staying at home or in a hotel?

CHARLEY HULL: No, I'm staying in a hotel because the M1 is so bad at the moment, the traffic. But I went home last night and I went home Sunday night, but that was about it really.

THE MODERATOR: And have you got a lot of friends and family coming out?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, I think I've got a few. I think my dad might come out a couple of days because he's busy, but I think I've got people coming out.

THE MODERATOR: I was reading last week you've been ill with salmonella. Are you completely healthy now?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, I feel much better now, which is good.

THE MODERATOR: So you were in hospital just before Evian; is that right?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, a few -- yeah, just having some tests and stuff because it kept -- it would go and then it would come back. It was a strange bug, food poisoning.

THE MODERATOR: Now you're feeling totally --

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, now I'm feeling totally fine. It's all good.

Q. Which holes in particular would you say are playing the most different this year than in '16?
CHARLEY HULL: I can't actually remember how we played it, but I do feel like as a whole that they were playing a little bit longer, which is nice. So that's good. I feel like -- I think the 3rd hole played different yesterday, but I think that was just because it was into the wind. Instead of a 3-wood off the tee, which I normally play, it was a driver, but I'm used to hitting driver off that hole anyway because I usually play it sort of back, but I do like the way they've set the course up this year. It's really good.

Q. Which is the course that you play the most?
CHARLEY HULL: The Duchess, which is the tightest one.

Q. What was the origin of the food poisoning?
CHARLEY HULL: No, I'm not sure. My caddie had it, as well. I got it the week of the KPMG, and I think it might have been on a surface because a few people got it.

Q. Obviously Georgia's win last year, that had a massive effect on her recognition and attention. Did that spur you?
CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, 100 per cent. Yeah, it was great. It was good to see her win, especially for her first win in a major. It was really good.

Q. The first time around here, did you feel like it played too short?
CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, I think because it was playing bouncy, as well, it definitely played quite short. I think this golf course does suit a player that's longer because the holes are designed for the back tees so it's nice they're playing is back because it makes the holes real good because that's how they should be played.

Q. What did you learn -- playing at home brings a lot more pressure. What did you learn about that the first time around? Are you changing your approach?
CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, a little bit. I just kind of -- I don't know. Before I'd play the golf course a lot, and I'd feel -- I'd be down here a lot and feel like a lot of the pressure is on me, but it's not really at all. There's loads of golfers in the field that are like in it to win it, and I just feel I'm just going to go out there and enjoy the whole experience. I've not been here as much. In fact, I took Monday off and didn't come down, and I'm only playing nine holes today. Just trying to get my work done and go back to the hotel.

Q. Last time did you find yourself in the clubhouse chatting to members and all of that?
CHARLEY HULL: I don't know. I literally can't remember. I cannot remember. I just remember last time my passport and my phone got stolen out of my car. I think my dad actually left it unlocked, but they still stole it out of my car, so I don't remember really.

Q. Can I just ask, there's been a lot of talk about the Women's British Open and its future the R&A taking over and people saying -- I know you're a great fan of Woburn, but do you think it should go to links courses in the future?
CHARLEY HULL: Well, I like playing links golf, like if I tell my friends, but I'm not a fan of links golf because I don't think it's -- I don't know, it's not my cup of tea, so I prefer it around golf courses like this. But everyone is entitled to their opinion. I think some would like it to be more traditional, but I think these golf courses suit my game, and I really like it here.

Q. To go back to this passport and phone thing, I'd be lost without my phone. What day of the week did this happen?
CHARLEY HULL: It happened on Sunday actually, and they caught the man on CCTV but they never like actually caught him. He had his hood up, so strange.

Q. You need your passport --
CHARLEY HULL: I have two passports, so it wasn't actually too bad, so at least I was all right because I have to have one for visas and stuff. But yeah, the passport got stolen and my phone got stolen.

Q. In respect to your time at England Golf, how would you say that prepared you for the professional game?
CHARLEY HULL: Probably going to different countries and stuff and playing in front of crowds and stuff because we played in front of crowds in home internationals and playing for GB and stuff. Just little things prepared me.

Q. How important do you think health and well-being is to you as a professional golfer?
CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, I think it was important, but it just makes me feel better, as well, like if you're healthy and you go to the gym. Like mentally it makes you feel better, not just for golf, just for general life.

Q. How did watching your fellow Englishwoman motivate or inspire you last year?
CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, it definitely made me work hard because I wanted to try and win. I played quite well after, and I was just -- I thought it was great actually that she won, especially since we've been friends since we were younger, as well. So it was really good.

Q. Women's sport in Britain is very strong at the moment. Georgia winning last summer, do you think she got the credit she deserves considering if somebody won Wimbledon there would be quite a lot of giddiness?
CHARLEY HULL: I think she got a lot of media, I think, but I don't really look at newspapers, and I don't really have Twitter. Like my manager helps me out with stuff, so I'm not really -- like don't really look at too much stuff on social media. But I think she got a lot. And I think it was really good for British golf.

But probably it could have gotten more, but they can always have more media attention.

Q. Are you aware that at home women's sport is really growing, but do you think golf is part of that, that growth in women's sport?
CHARLEY HULL: To be fair, I don't really watch much stuff on TV. I don't really watch much sport. I probably only watch Wimbledon and if England is playing, but I'm not really -- I wouldn't really know because I don't really watch it. I hear people talking about it, and I suppose it's all really good.

Q. What's your best score around here?
CHARLEY HULL: I'm not quite sure really. I think -- I played off the backs about four weeks after the British Open was played here last time. I played off the back tees and I shot 5-under, and that was quite good off the backs because it's like 7,200, and I just remember thinking, why couldn't I do that in the British Open.

Q. Can you just give me your three favourite holes on the course?
CHARLEY HULL: I'd probably say the 9th, the 14th and -- I don't know, 9th, 14th and the 3rd.

Q. What do you like about the 3rd?
CHARLEY HULL: It's a tricky hole. You have to get a good drive away, and it's not the easiest shot into the green.

Q. The 9th?
CHARLEY HULL: Again, you get a normal drive away and then it's a downhill to the green and it's quite a tricky shot into the green, and I just like it because it looks pretty because you can see behind the fields and that.

Q. And the 14th?
CHARLEY HULL: And again, it's a long iron shot in, can be like a 4-iron or a rescue wood. And again, you have to hit a good shot to hit the green.

Q. (Indiscernible.)
CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, they're not boring, if you know what I mean.

Q. Do you think about what it would mean to win a major or this major?
CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, it would be great. Great fun. But I'm just going to go out there and enjoy it. I'd always love to win a major, especially on home turf. I think it would be great. But just going to go out there and enjoy it, and the more I enjoy it, hopefully it gives me a chance to win out there.

Q. You don't strike me as the kind of person to whom it would be a burden to try to win.
CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, I think at the end of the day, as long as I enjoy my life outside of golf, I can only put too much pressure on myself in golf because sometimes I feel like I do actually. But I just would really love to win this event, especially on home turf. But again, I'm not going to say it's my be-all and end-all because I don't want to put pressure on myself.

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