The injury seemed innocuous at first. It turned out to be anything but that. Charley Hull is still bearing the brunt of a freak injury she suffered last October. So much so that it has totally disrupted her day-to-day routine and stopped her from doing what she loves doing the most.

She can still play golf, and she is in the Chevron Championship field, the first LPGA major of the season. But Hull, a fitness freak, can’t hit the gym yet. That has impacted her key strength in the greens, but more importantly, it has taken a toll on her mind as well. She sounded dejected when asked about how she is filling that void.

“I don’t know,” the English golfer said, dwelling on the question for some time, “You feel a bit depressed–because I’ve not been able to go to the gym. It’s part of my routine, and now it’s obviously not there. Been doing a lot of rehab stuff.”

Hull fell down on the parking lot of the Centurion Club in London in October 2025. She heard the ankle pop, but later felt it wasn’t that big of a deal. Nevertheless, Hull did an MRI and withdrew from the PIF London Championship. The effect of that injury might prove to be costly this week.

She is a tournament favorite, the world’s fourth-best golfer, with four runner-up finishes in majors. She has also won the PIF Saudi Ladies International in February. On paper, she is as good as she has ever been, but under the surface, Hull’s missed gym session has diminished her power off the tee.

“I’ve lost some ball speed and club speed since my injuries, and obviously, I’ve been unable to get to the gym. It’s been eight months now, and I’m starting to notice it quite a lot,” the 30-year-old shared at the pre-tournament press conference when asked about her preparations for the major.

Charley Hull is 104th in driving distance (262.5 yards) this season on the LPGA Tour, vis-à-vis 12th in 2025 (273.21 yards). She has lost as much as ten yards, as she can’t do speed training. Now, Memorial Park, the municipal course in Houston, which also hosts the PGA Tour’s Texas Children’s Houston Open, is a bombers’ paradise.

Gary Woodland, Min Woo Lee, and Stephen Jaeger, the last three winners of the tournament, have been long-hitters ranking inside the top-20 on the PGA Tour in driving distance. Clearly, Hull is at a disadvantage here.

The British pro has always been very fitness-oriented and has never shied away from expressing the importance of the gym in her life. She frequently posts training videos on Instagram that often go viral, with fans sometimes commenting that just reading about her routine is exhausting. However, Charley Hull has never backed down from her fitness commitment. She has often explained that her training goes beyond golf, saying,

“I don’t train for golf. I have zero interest in training for golf. I train because it’s good for my mental health and it’s good for me.”

Notably, Hull also collapsed during the Amundi Evian Championship last year. She was also hospitalized for unknown reasons in February, which complicated her health struggles further. Each time she got close to making a resounding comeback in majors, she encountered new problems.

A part of the reason Hull struggles to heal completely is her lifestyle and demanding travel schedule on the LPGA Tour. She described a cycle that feels impossible to break. After spending two weeks at home focusing on rebuilding her body, she faces a long-haul flight back to the States, and she feels that any progress she made quickly unravels. This pattern has continued into 2026.

“It’s like a battle I can never win,” she remarked during a press conference, conveying her frustration that her recovery never feels complete.

To maintain her adrenaline levels now that she can no longer lift weights, Hull has found an unexpected outlet.

“I’ve been working on my house, to be fair,” she said. “That’s been key for me, helping to keep my dopamine levels up. I decided that if I don’t make it in golf or win a major tournament anytime soon, I’ll become an interior designer.”

This statement reflects Hull’s characteristic honesty. Recently, she revealed that she is having a freestanding bath installed at the foot of her bed, inspired by a hotel room she once stayed in and designed by her own vision. For a player who has spent eight months unable to engage in the activity that normally defines her daily routine, it turns out that renovation work offers its own form of release.

Charley Hull is not the first player at the top of this sport to wage a long war against injury. Nelly Korda, the world’s second-ranked player and one of the favorites in Houston this week, knows the territory intimately.

Not just Hull, Injuries become the Bigger Battles for Nelly Korda, too

In March 2022, Korda was hospitalized after experiencing swelling in her arm following a routine workout, which led to a diagnosis of a blood clot. As a result, she missed the Chevron Championship that year, the first major tournament of the season, and required surgery before returning at the U.S. Women’s Open in June.

Unfortunately, the injuries did not stop there. A recurring neck issue has forced Korda to withdraw from multiple events in 2024 and 2025, as well as the International Crown. Throughout this challenging period, she has spoken candidly about the accumulating pressure she feels.

“Golf is already mentally tough, and then there’s the added stress of flying across the country, traveling alone, and sleeping in a different bed,” Korda said. “I’m now at the age where I’m really feeling that.”

For a player who had won seven times in 2024 alone and reached world number one, this forced absence served as a reminder of how quickly the body can affect performance. While taking a six-week break earlier this year, Nelly Korda chose to work extensively with her coach rather than rest; she admitted to taking only five actual days off during that entire time.

Despite facing numerous injuries, neither Nelly Korda nor Charley Hull has allowed her body to dictate her journey. Both have managed to win prestigious tournaments.

At this week’s Chevron Championship in Houston, the world’s best female golfers have arrived carrying months of preparation. But some, like Hull in this case, are also carrying battles the leaderboard will never show.