Charley Hull certainly managed to put on a show for the British crowds at the AIG Women’s Open this past week, with the 29-year-old managing to put herself within one shot of the lead during Sunday’s final round at Royal Porthcawl.
The wait for Charley Hull‘s first major goes on. However, there was yet another reminder of why Hull is seen as one of the most naturally talented players in the women’s game at the final major of the year.
It is the fourth time that Hull has finished second at a major in her career. It is the second time in three years that she has finished as the runner-up at the AIG Women’s Open.
Hull appeared to have no chance of winning at the halfway stage in Wales. She found herself inside the cut line by just a handful of shots. Crucially, she was 11 shots back of the lead after two rounds.
Charley Hull proves a real point with her performance at the AIG Women’s Open
But a stunning Saturday brought Hull back into the mix. She posted a 66 for the third lowest round of the week. It left her three shots off Miyu Yamashita with 18 holes to play.
At times on Sunday, it really appeared that Hull was going to be able to catch Yamashita. She had made five birdies in her first 14 holes.
Unfortunately, she could not get across the line and finished two shots back. Nevertheless, there are plenty of positives for Hull to take from her performance.
Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast, Christina Kim suggested that she was blown away by the crowds Hull had following her throughout the tournament.
“Charley had unbelievable crowds, obviously all week long, but especially you saw when the drone was starting to go in and zoom out a little, you saw just the size of the crowds that Charley had late on Saturday and then on Sunday. It was insanity in all honesty. And she was making putts left, right and centre,” she said.
“And it’s funny that she says that links isn’t necessarily her forte just due to the fact that she is so creative. She sees shots that most people can’t see. She can play the ball high, she can play the ball low. She can hit it left – she truly plays the game and doesn’t just swing at the ball.”
Christina Kim backs Charley Hull to win multiple majors after another close call at Royal Porthcawl
Of course, Hull’s previous major appearance had ended in real disappointment. She was forced to withdraw after collapsing during the Amundi Evian Championship. It turned out that she was dealing with a virus.
To go from that to finishing second in the next major just a couple of weeks later tells you everything about Hull’s resilience.
And Kim believes that she has all of the tools to win several majors in the coming years.
“The fact that with the virus that she has still been working towards getting over that she contracted at Evian, and the fact that she lost four kilograms, I think she said that she lost 8 mph ball speed, it’s tough to be able to come back from that. To be able to do it in such fashion in front of the crowds was something that she absolutely has to be commended for,” she added.
“I know she’s going to be utterly exhausted right now, to a level that most of us would never be able to imagine. But I think she can now sit here and say, you know what, I was nearly able to cap off that victory not having my best stuff in a physical sense, in terms of overall health.
“Hopefully this will do nothing but inspire her and to give her the true sense that yeah, you absolutely can do this. There’s no reason why you can’t by the end of your career win four, five, six backed up underneath your belt.”
Hull does not appear to be someone who feels the burden when she comes agonisingly close – and that will surely stand her in good stead in the future when the next opportunity arises.
You would have to think that it will all come together and lead to that long-awaited first major win at some point.
And clearly, that is then expected to be the first of many.
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