THE ASCENDANT LPGA BENEFITING VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA

October 4, 2023

Charley Hull

Golf Clubs at The Tribute

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, hi, Charley. Welcome back to the Ascendant LPGA where you won last year. It's been a year now since your second LPGA Tour win. How would you describe this past year since winning here in Texas?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, felt like it gave me good momentum. I played some really good golf. I think I've had five second place finishes this year, so one on the LET and the rest on the LPGA Tour, obviously two in the majors, so I feel my game is in very good position.

Yeah, it's been a great year.

Q. Speaking of that, you've had a lot of second-place finishes as you said. With that in mind, how good does it feel to come back to a place where you know you've won here already given your momentum?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, 100%. Obviously had a top 10 here in the past and then I won last year. Yeah, I feel like game is in good shape. I obviously sprained my neck when I was in Spain. I had facet sprain and I really couldn't swing at all. It was horrible. It still hurts a little bit, but just taking it easy. It's kind of hard because I love playing golf and I like practicing when I'm at home so it's hard for me to rest.

But I feel good.

Q. Speaking of Solheim Cup, I know it was a really great experience to come away with retaining the trophy. Tell us how much momentum that gives you going into the week, how the energy of that event translates into your game.

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, it was good. I find it quite a hard week because I just didn't feel like I could play the way I wanted to because of my neck. Like if that was a normal event I wouldn't have played because I would've had to pull out. Had to almost change my swing to swing that week, so then I didn't hit it very well.

Obviously I rested like two, three matches I think it was. So like, yeah, it was good, but I feel like I had momentum coming in second in Cincinnati. That's my last LPGA event, so just got think of that.

Q. Hey, Charley.

CHARLEY HULL: Hey.

Q. When we did the pre-tournament presser for this event we lost you. Your phone died.

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, my battery died.

Q. Mid-sentence. I was hoping we could revisit that answer. We were all hanging on every word you said. I'll remind you. The question was just you talked about the ADHD diagnosis. I was curious about the run-up to seeing someone about it and what you were going through.

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, I don't know, ever since -- I don't know, I find it quite hard, but I'm very like, how do I explain it, an impatient person when it comes it stuff. Just random things like when someone is talking to me, like just tell me the bullet points. Don't give meet whole speel because I can get it straightaway.

It's weird, like little things in my golf swing, if my coach gives me a drill to do I can get it straightaway. So I get things pretty quickly, and that is like kind of good things about ADHD.

Then other things is where I'm very restless, I can't sleep, and always have to be doing something because my mind can wander. But then sometimes I can sleep for a day without waking up. It's weird.

But, yeah, it was really getting me down in the middle of the year, just this weird feelings inside me, and it wasn't very good. Obviously I took some time off and addressed the issue, and now I feel pretty good. I know my triggers and I just work on it.

Q. Did you see a new mental health professional?

CHARLEY HULL: I've never really seen anyone for mental health before. Yeah, saw him a couple times and that's all I needed. Obviously wanted to put me on medication because my mind is always overthinking, but without going into it too much, I was like, no, I don't want to be on any medication. I just want to do it myself.

At the end of the day life is life and you have highs and lows and everyone goes through things. Sometimes when it comes to mental health I think people play on it a bit too much rather than just addressing it and working on it yourself.

Yeah, I speak to my friends, and if I need to I speak to the person. I've just found certain ways for me to help myself out, and routine is a massive thing for me. So when I'm in a routine, that's when I find I'm in my happiest place.

Q. And you were talking about how much you like being at home.

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, I love being at home.

Q. Do you think that's part of it, the routine and the familiarity of home?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, 100%. I like getting up at home, going to the gym, get my fresh juice in the morning, go and practice golf, and I can see my family.

Yeah, I just find that a lot easier. I like driving a lot as well because that makes me focus on something. I don't know, it's kind of a weird thing. Or going on long walks, being out in the fresh air and being out in the open. That really helps with everything.

Q. How do you plan your schedule knowing that, your playing schedule?

CHARLEY HULL: I play a lot less events if you've noticed. I think I try and do 18 events on the LPGA and couple on the LET, so like 20 events. Yeah, just kind of do that.

The biggest problem is sometimes when I'm on the road if I'm feeling down I just can't sleep at night. Like in Cincinnati I couldn't fall asleep until like 3:00 in the morning, and the way the tee times were on the weekend we had to wake up early, so I was running on like three hours sleep. I was pretty tired for a few weeks after. Yeah, it's life isn't it? You got to deal with it.

Q. Lastly, have you met any other players or athletes along the way...

CHARLEY HULL: I've not really spoken about it with anyone, to be fair. Yeah, I felt like only reason why I've said about it is because obviously I got a lot of criticism from pulling out of International Crown. At the end of the day it's not something I wanted to share at the time because I was going through a bad patch.

Yeah, just went and worked on it myself and I feel good. Yeah, that's the reason why I said about it. It's hard on the golf course. I find slow play really hard. I like to be fast, and I think that's one of the main traits about having ADHD. You just want to get on with it, crack on with it, and you can get bored very easily. I just try and trick my mind and think of ways to keep me entertained.

Q. I know you like to look at the scenery.

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, exactly.

Q. What else do you liked to?

CHARLEY HULL: Just think about things I'm going to do when I'm home. Just random stuff. Chat to my caddie about stuff, what he's got up to the night before, what we're going to do, what I'm going to eat, just stuff like that.

Q. I promise this is my last question: Do you feel like now that you know this about yourself that you can take things to another level with your game?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, 100%. Like it makes you understand things, and like I'll say to my caddie sometimes, I'm getting really bored here, and so we'll chat and I'll refocus.

Sometimes I find when I'm a few back going into the back nine I'm like okay, right, this is getting excited. This is getting me interested. I'm not bored. Come on then, let's chase this person down. I need to take that more into the first few rounds.

Q. Have you given Adam some tips to look for how to help you out there?

CHARLEY HULL: Not really. Just give me a kick in the back side.

Q. Perfect.

CHARLEY HULL: Sometimes you got to be cruel to be kind.

Q. Obviously you play all the time.

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah.

Q. It's also a sport you have to be really patient with.

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah.

Q. Did you find it like ironic? What is it about golf that --

CHARLEY HULL: I don't know. I love golf. Like if I was to stop I would golf on the LPGA Tour now, I would play golf every single day at home. Like I love playing golf. Like I would be out there like Sunday. Should have been my day off, but I was down there from 10:00 in the morning until like 7:00 just practicing.

My coach even said to me, that's way too much. I like being out in the fresh air, especially Woburn where I play at. You're out in the trees, nature on the golf course. I'm my most happiest when I'm on the golf course and challenging myself when I'm practicing and stuff.

I feel like that's my therapy, but then if I need a day off I like to go on hikes and stuff. And stuff like that. But, yeah.

Q. I just want to ask one or two more about your game. We talked a lot about it. You're in a really good place. What is it about your game that really standing out?

CHARLEY HULL: Just working on some stuff with my swing, trying to get it back where it was in 2015 with my coach, because I struggle listening sometimes. Like if I feel like I'm hitting it well I'm not going to change my swing.

I did in the middle of the year before the U.S. Open. Not really swing change, just working on bits, taking it back a bit more closed, a bit more round around my body, and staying in my tilts.

That was the main thing, and that's why I didn't hit it well in Solheim because I couldn't see my tilts through impact because of my neck sprain. I've never really had an injury before. Only injury I has was I broke my wrist when I was 16 and refractured it back in 2017, but I just played through it.

I don't find -- when I have a wrist injury it doesn't bother me as much, but -- because I don't mind pain. Like pain is fine. I think pain is just a weakness of the mind, so if you're strong enough to overcome it's just a pain for that split second.

But with the neck like I physically couldn't stay in my tilts. Even though it hurt, it's like it felt blocked, and that was really bugging me. Last week I took two days off and got back to practice and then had loads of physio.

Q. So the neck is feeling okay?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, just random days it'll feel really blocked. It's mostly in the middle, but it comes down to the side.

Q. Remembering back to last year, what was it about this course, about your game that helped you be successful, and how do you replicate that this week?

CHARLEY HULL: I don't know really. I felt like I was coming in playing well. The week before I think I finished sixth, and then a few weeks before that I came third at Evian, so it was building on good momentum. Just kind of embraced being out here.

I've got family in Texas, and when I was nine years old I came over to Texas and it was first place I visited in America because I played in the Texas Open.

So I had good memories, so I really do like Texas.

THE MODERATOR: Well, good luck this week, Charley.

CHARLEY HULL: Thank you so much. Cheers.