Charley Hull relishing opportunity of US Women's Open after best-ever American display

[ASFN Admin]

Charley Hull goes into this week’s US Women’s Open fresh off her best American display of 2020 and relishing the opportunity to take on a “tough examination”. Hull, the 24-year-old from Kettering, finished sixth in the Volunteers of America Classic - four behind the winner in Dallas, Angela Stanford - and described herself as “well satisfied” with her form going into the season’s final major. “My game’s in good shape and I’m well satisfied with this,” Hull said. “I played in Europe in the couple of weeks before coming back to the States and finished fifth and sixth, so I am playing pretty well. It’s been a crazy year, though, having had Covid and everything. I've only played six events on the LPGA Tour and feel I’m only just now getting really into it.” It may be December when the professionals are usually in hibernation, but this could be the perfect time to peak for a player with all the credentials to win a major. Hull has recorded seven top-10s in the US majors, including seventh at the Women’s PGA in Philadelphia two months ago. She makes no secret of her dislike of the normal birdie-fest on the LPGA Tour. “I do prefer a longer golf course where the emphasis is on ball-striking rather than just a putting competition,” Hull said. “I don’t like courses when they're short and fat you just have to hit wedges in. I'd much rather be hitting a four-iron in than a gap wedge. “You get rewarded for good shots and punished for bad ones. That’s how it should be. I just wish we had longer courses week in, week out. They suit me and that's why the majors suit me more. And that’s why I’m looking forward to Houston.” Hull is due to arrive at the Champions Club on Monday and Kathy Whitworth, the legendary Houston native with a record 88 Tour titles to her name, believes the young Englishwoman will like what she finds at the course which hosted the 1967 Ryder Cup. “There are a lot of hard, long fairways, and hard greens to read,” Whitworth, 81, said. “It will be a tough challenge, a searching examination and it will favour the good ball-strikers.” Meanwhile, the R&A; has confirmed that the 2023 and 2024 Open Championships will be staged at Royal Liverpool and Royal Troon respectively. The British major which was cancelled this year due to the pandemic, takes place at Royal St George’s next year and at St Andrews in 2022

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