Hull Eyes Major Breakthrough: “Second Place is First Loser” as She targets Championship Glory
porthcawl,Wales – England’s top-ranked golfer,Charley Hull,is setting her sights firmly on a maiden major championship title,declaring that “second place is first loser” as she prepares for the upcoming championship at Porthcawl. Hull, who has enjoyed a stellar career as bursting onto the professional scene in 2013 with five consecutive runner-up finishes on the Ladies European Tour (LET), has amassed six victories across the LPGA Tour and LET and has been a consistent fixture in the last six European Solheim Cup teams. Despite her considerable success, the sport’s biggest championships have remained an elusive conquest, with three runner-up finishes marking her best results too date.
Hull’s approach to majors has been characterized by a “boom or bust” pattern in recent years. In her last 24 major appearances, she has missed the cut on eight occasions, yet has secured a top-25 finish in 15 of them. This includes her runner-up performance in the same championship when it was held at Walton Heath in 2023. Unlike the men’s Open Championship, which exclusively features coastal links courses, the women’s equivalent frequently enough takes place on inland parkland tracks. While Hull admits a preference for parkland courses, she holds positive memories of Porthcawl, having won there as a 14-year-old in the inaugural Junior Vagliano Trophy in 2011, a Solheim Cup-style amateur event. She also expressed anticipation for perhaps windy conditions, stating, “Links is going to be a challenge and I hope the wind is up as I like finding links hard.”
Reflecting on her major record, which includes three second-place finishes and six other top-10s in 59 appearances, Hull remains unfazed by statistics. “I don’t really look at stuff like that,” she commented. “I have no interest. As I am in life, once I’m done I’m off to the next thing.” When asked about elevating her game to the next level, Hull emphasized the importance of managing pressure and avoiding excessive obsession with golf, drawing a parallel to her less intense approach in her younger years. The challenging Porthcawl course,with its potential for wind,may indeed provide the perfect environment to rekindle those more carefree days of competitive golf.
