'i Don't Train For Golf, I Train To Keep My Body And Mind Fit'

AIG Women's Open

Venue: Royal Porthcawl, Wales Date: 31 July - 3 August

BBC coverage: Live power and matter commentary crossed each 4 days of nan championship

It is 20 years since Charley Hull first deed nan golfing headlines.

The past nine-year-old battled done a title that attracted 24,000 entries from crossed nan state to triumph nan 2005 Ladies Golf Union Championship astatine a windswept Turnberry, beating a 46-year-old from Manchester successful a play-off for nan title.

A twelvemonth later, she showed singular maturity erstwhile asked if she was going to beryllium nan women's Tiger Woods.

"I want to beryllium my ain personification really," was nan 10-year-old's assured reply successful a grainy video. "Everyone is saying you're nan caller Tiger Woods and I deliberation yeah, well, whatever. I want to beryllium myself."

And Hull has surely spent nan past 2 decades being herself, pinch an ADHD diagnois successful 2023 helping her "understand why sometimes I get saturated connected nan play course".

She eschews normal play training because she thinks it's "rubbish", has raised eyebrows for smoking connected nan course, and has "no interest" successful her past results because she's already "off to nan adjacent thing".

Such was nan excitement astir Hull aft that triumph connected nan westbound seashore of Scotland successful 2005, a BBC study suggested that you would struggle to get amended likelihood than 20-1 for her to triumph a awesome by nan extremity of 2025.

Well, present we are. The last awesome of 2025.

The AIG Women's Open astatine Royal Porthcawl is being billed arsenic nan biggest women's sporting arena held successful Wales, pinch thousands of fans expected to be nan coastal venue.

And 29-year-old Hull will beryllium hoping to break her awesome duck astatine nan 60th clip of asking.

But contempt being world number 19, nan likelihood are astir apt greater now than they were backmost then. That is chiefly down to nan disrupted mentation Hull has faced, having being forced to propulsion retired of nan Evian Championship earlier this month.

Hull, who was "battling a virus", collapsed during nan first information of nan 4th of nan yearly 5 majors, and connected her return to title astatine past week's Scottish Open - wherever she went vanished associated 21st - said she was only operating astatine astir 80%.

"I've not been (to the) gym successful 2 weeks and I'm not going to spell to nan gym for different 2 weeks," she said while astatine Dundonald Links. "I request my immune strategy to drawback up. It drives maine bonkers not being capable to spell to nan gym."

Hull's followers connected societal media will beryllium good alert of her gym obsession, pinch almost regular snapshots of workouts posted online.

She prefers it to nan accustomed play training which she has agelong called "a load of rubbish".

"I don't train for golf, I train to support my assemblage and mind fit," she told BBC Sport.

"I've nary liking successful doing it for golf. I conscionable do it for myself, arsenic a hobby, trying to hit my ain fittingness goals."

When asked to explain what play training entails, Hull replied: "I'm not connected astir training arsenic successful chipping and putting. I tin do that for hours each day.

"It's each this boring activity worldly I've been doing since I was 14. It's conscionable not for me."

The training authorities besides includes trying to tally 5km successful 20 minutes earlier nan twelvemonth is retired (last cheque was 23mins 30secs, down from complete 26mins astatine nan commencement of February) and quitting smoking.

"I was connected astir 40 a day, truthful I conscionable thought, I don't want to beryllium smoking 40 cigarettes a day, truthful I conscionable discontinue consecutive away," she said. "It's nan easiest point I've ever done."

It has been a scarcely believable twelve years since Hull burst connected to nan master segment successful 2013 pinch 5 sucessive runners-up finishes connected nan Ladies European Tour (LET).

She has gone connected to grounds a mixed six victories connected nan LPGA Tour and LET and go a cardinal personnel of nan past six European Solheim Cup teams, but 3 runner-up finishes stay nan champion Hull has achieved successful nan sport's biggest championships.

"Second to maine is first loser," said England's apical classed player.

"But I'm successful a awesome position because if you're not asking [about my chances], I'm not doing thing right."

Hull has been a small roar aliases bust successful nan fields complete caller years. In her past 24 starts, she has missed nan trim connected 8 occassions but vanished top-25 successful 15, including runner-up successful this title erstwhile it was held astatine Surrey people Walton Heath successful 2023.

Unlike nan men's Open Championship, which is ever held astatine a coastal links course, nan women's balanced is besides played astatine inland courses.

And while Hull said she "prefers parkland" tracks, she has affirmative experiences from Porthcawl to tie upon.

"I won present erstwhile I was 14, truthful I person fond memories," she said, referring to playing successful nan inaugural Junior Vagliano trophy successful 2011 - a Solheim Cup-style amateur title which pits Great Britain and Ireland agaist Continental Europe.

"Links is going to beryllium a situation and I dream nan upwind is up because I for illustration uncovering links hard."

Three times she has vanished successful nan spot down nan victor successful her erstwhile 59 awesome appearances. There person been six different top-10s.

"I don't really look astatine worldly for illustration that," she said.

"I person nary interest. As I americium successful life, erstwhile I'm done I'm disconnected to nan adjacent thing."

And erstwhile pushed connected what she needs to do to return her crippled to nan adjacent level, Hull simply said: "I request to not put excessively overmuch unit connected my golf, not beryllium excessively play obsessed.

"Like erstwhile I was younger, I was ne'er that obsessed."

Perhaps a windy Porthcawl will thief invoke memories of those much guiltless days astatine blustery Turnberry.