AIG WOMEN'S OPEN

August 23, 2024

Charley Hull

Mixed Zone

Q. Given the way that round unfolded, you're probably pleased to be where you are?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, 100 percent. I actually I thought I hit it just as good as yesterday, I just missed four -- I think three or four four-foot putts, but that was early on in my round.

Like 10 I missed, which was my first hole, I missed like a two-foot putt I think it was, and then on the par-5 I three-putted from like 10 feet. Then on 2, I missed that short putt.

I felt like I was -- I didn't feel like I putted quite as good but I felt like I struggled with the pace today. I thought the greens were a little bit slower.

Then my putts earlier on, there was a little bit of wet on the green from where it was raining earlier, and it was a little bit skiddy, so then it kind of got in my head a little bit, but then once I got over that, I just fell back into my stroke and it felt fine.

Q. Is 18 a good example of the pace --

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, very same. I left a good five, six shots out there today. I had 36 putts today. But yeah, I felt like that was a very, very slow putt, but it was just, again, getting used to the pace.

I felt early in the round the wind wasn't up as much. When I was into or downwind, yesterday I was reading the putts with the wind and you could whack them when you were into and stuff, and today I just wasn't adjusting to that, but then on the back nine when the wind got up I felt like I putted better.

Q. (No microphone.)

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, 100 percent. Am I three shots behind Nelly? Yeah, only three shots behind. That's nothing going into the weekend especially on this golf course. Like I said, I left a lot of putts out there. I think Nelly had 30 putts and I had 36 putts. So that's six putts that I've lost to her on the greens. I'm just going to go out there and do some pace putting this afternoon, but again, I felt like I hit the ball pretty well.

Kind of hard judging -- you play the holes on the back nine off the right and then you play the front nine off the left into the wind, so judging them shots going into, I felt like I was striking the ball pretty well and sometimes I was hitting some shots through the wind, so it just took a few holes to adjust to it, and then I holed it up on the last few.

Q. What have you seen out of Nelly the last two days?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, I feel like I'm equally hitting it as good, she just holed a few more putts than me today. I think Lilia is the one to watch, as well, because when it gets windy she kind of just sticks in there. She's a good scrambler.

Q. How are you a different player around here than the last time you played here?

CHARLEY HULL: I don't know. Back then I was just real young. I'd send the ball high up in the air. I didn't really know how to play links golf too well. I didn't play much links golf when I grew up. I think I've just learned over the years. Even though I'm from England, where I'm from it's parkland.

Q. (No microphone.)

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, 100 percent. Today I started off, made bogeys on the easiest holes on the golf course today. So I'd have been frustrated. But I kind of just dug deep and kind of just enjoyed the challenge of coming back.

Q. (No microphone.)

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, 100 percent. It was off the golf course at nearly 8:00 last night, back by 9:00, in bed by 10:00, then up at 5:00. So it was a bit of a turnaround. But kind of enjoyed it.

It was a bit rainy this morning so it cut your warmup a little bit shorter, but I'm looking forward to the weekend and have some time to good to the gym this afternoon.

Q. You're back in the mix at the halfway stage.

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, 100 percent. You've just got to take it as a poster from last year, kind of learn from my mistakes and stuff and just carry on grinding it, but it's a lot different to last year because it's a completely different golf course. So you've just got to kind of grind it out out there because you can have a 100-foot putt and it's a good two-putt. Sometimes it's hard to hit it close out there because there's so many mounds and everything.

I found quite a few divots this week in the fairways, as well, which kind of cost me on the second today. I hit a lovely drive down there, and I'm in a divot, and that's why I've come up a bit short. I had a lovely strike, but it just rode up in the air from where it was so down, so you've just got to be patient.

Q. (No microphone.)

CHARLEY HULL: I don't know, really. Was it really windy yesterday morning? I didn't have a look. Four of them in the morning, there you go. Is it going to pick up this afternoon, the wind? Similar to this, yeah. I don't know if it'll drop. But I'd say they probably had the better side of the draw, but who knows.

Q. (No microphone.)

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, fine. I had physio on it this morning. I only feel it when it gets cold out there. It's fine.