AIG WOMEN'S OPEN

August 18, 2020

Charley Hull

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: You've been out there on the course this morning. How was it?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, it was really nice. The golf course is in great condition. The greens are rolling really nicely. I like it, as well, because it doesn't look that long on the scorecard but it's a lot of lay up holes like irons off tees that leave longer irons into the greens and I quite like that because I'm a strong long iron player.

I played 18 holes today and 12 today and 18 today because I cut across from 6 to 13 today.

THE MODERATOR: And the setup looks amazing, even without fans, it just feels so major?

CHARLEY HULL: It's really nice. I like it out there. They have done a good job.

THE MODERATOR: How do you find the new branding, looks very beautiful?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, it's good. All blue. It's nice.

THE MODERATOR: Are you remembering to say the tournament name correctly.

CHARLEY HULL: AIG British Open.

THE MODERATOR: No British. So last week, you had a 68 on the final day. So obviously your game is warming up. I know in the break you played a number of Rose Series. How competitive are you feeling for this week?

CHARLEY HULL: Feeling good. I played Royal St. George's in the Rose Ladies Series about a month ago and that kind of got me in some links golf when I went and played Hillside.

Obviously I'm not the biggest fan of links golf, I like playing with it my friends and stuff as a bit of fun but I find it hard to score around sometimes. I like parkland golf courses and American-style.

But no, it's nice and I feel like my game is in good shape at the minute, and last week I played really well. Just didn't putt that great. I thought the greens were a little bit slow but the greens are really rolling fantastic here and it's nice.

THE MODERATOR: But your game is obviously trending in the last direction last week as you got going.

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, definitely, 100 per cent. Felt weird having four days on the trot, scorecard in my hand rather than just a one-day event but it was good. It was a good setup this week.

THE MODERATOR: Were you tired? A lot of the girls were saying they were really exhausted getting back into a four-round tournament.

CHARLEY HULL: I was running at home, training two or three times a day. I feel quite relaxed. I went to the gym like five times last week but it's like a lot different because I was doing 10K runs at home and like spin sessions and everything. So I think walking around the golf course ain't too bad.

THE MODERATOR: You focussed a lot on your fitness over the break. What would you say that your new fitness has brought you?

CHARLEY HULL: I got too skinny, and I couldn't put on weight so I started running loads and it helped me gain in my legs, and I've been doing loads of burpees and stuff to get stronger around here. I feel loads better.

THE MODERATOR: Have you been working with any particular trainer?

CHARLEY HULL: No, just doing it myself. It's good.

Q. You mentioned you've not always been the greatest fan of links golf. What is it that frustrates you? Is it the randomness?

CHARLEY HULL: I feel like you can hit good shots and get bad bounces and bad luck, and I don't know, I don't really feel like you have to be probably the best ball-striker, you just need to go down the fairway and green and give yourself a putt, and then you're sound and keep out of the bunkers.

Q. Coming to a tournament like this, such a big event but on a links golf course. How do you modify your mindset?

CHARLEY HULL: I just try to picture the fairways being tree-lined because I like really, really tight golf courses and I like to feel like tunnel vision where this is kind of open and flat and it's hard to pick your lines because it's hard to pick out the fairways sometimes. So you've just got to be really focused.

Q. I wanted to ask you how you're finding The Postage Stamp, how you're playing the hole, your thoughts on it?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, it's only like a wedge, so it's a good birdie hole I think. Depends on the wind direction but I've only played it once. But there's a lot more tricky holes out there but it's a cool little hole.

Q. Playing on Royal St. George's and now Troon, what does it mean to you when you think of the significance for women's golf to be hosting such a big championship this week?

CHARLEY HULL: I think it's really good. I think it's like coming to times now, as well, so it's pretty impressive how a few weeks ago, the first women's event was at Royal St. George's, that was the Rose Series, and then this will be the first professional event at Troon. So it shows that golf is going in the right direction.

THE MODERATOR: Had you played Troon before in any amateur competition?

CHARLEY HULL: It was the Helen Holm, that was 2010 I played it, and I was like 14. I might have been 13 because it was on earlier in the year, I just remember it being pretty good. We played two rounds on the other golf course and one on this but it was nice.

THE MODERATOR: How did you do?

CHARLEY HULL: I can't remember. I think I finished 15th or something but it was good fun. I liked it.

THE MODERATOR: And did you watch Henrik winning here last time?

CHARLEY HULL: No, I don't think I did. I don't really watch much golf on TV. I usually just watch the Masters. I do watch the British Open, as well, but I think I might have been away golfing that week.

Q. There was a lot made last week about the pace of play. You're a fast player. How do you -- what do you think about the overall pace of the Tour and any changes that you would like to see done?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, I wish they had play a lot faster because I hit slow play. I get so bored and I suppose people as well, doesn't matter this week, but when you have fans watching it, it's not really good.

But I don't know, because they started giving penalty shots rather than fines -- you know, I think to grow the game, people don't want to be sat there for hours and hours watching a slow game, slow golf. I get told a lot, like it's crazy how slow we play.

Usually when I'm at home with my friends we go around in like three hours and on Tour, last week, I played 5 hours and 40 minutes. So it can be a long day.

Q. Laura Davies is off on the first group, another fast player. How fast do you think they will go around?

CHARLEY HULL: Is it a two ball or three ball? If it's a two ball and she's with another fast player, it will be quick. Yeah, depends on how fast the others are but if they are fast, they will be fast with Laura. I like playing with Laura. It's just easygoing. It's easy golf. At the end of the day, it's like you have a yardage and it's kind of sometimes obvious what club it is. Like just hit it. Sometimes people fart around too much and it's worse.

Q. Do you think that's what it comes down to, too much conversation going on?

CHARLEY HULL: I don't know really. At the end of the day, you have a number and just hit it. I don't really think too much to be fair. But yeah, sometimes it just gets too slow.

THE MODERATOR: How do you keep your concentration when it is a bit slow? Stacy decided she wouldn't talk about it.

CHARLEY HULL: I just doodle in my book, like draw little hearts, that's what I do, and colour them in. Or just talk about something random or just think, I don't know, just about random stuff when I'm at home. That's about it, really.

THE MODERATOR: So you just try not to let the frustrations of the moment distract you?

CHARLEY HULL: It can get very, very frustrating like when it's slow. I get bored sometimes, so that's why I doodle in my book.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks so much and best of luck.