Charley Hull has built a reliable record at the Women’s Scottish Open: making the cut every year since 2017. But that streak nearly broke on Day 1 of the Scottish Open this year. On the par-5 fifth, her 15-ft birdie try turned into a quadruple-bogey 9. The Englishwoman knew that she hit a poor putt, but that alone was not the cause of the blunder. She messaged the LPGA commissioner right after round 1 to make a specific complaint. Speaking at the AIG Women’s Open press conference later, Hull revealed what the complaint was.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“Listen, at the end of the day, it’s about position. I’m not going to sit here and say, oh yeah, it was me. Which is, was me, but the pin shouldn’t have been there. I texted the commissioner state after the round. I was like, listen, at the end of the day, I know everyone f***s up, but the pin was about a yard from a massive slope. And where it was on a down slope going towards a slope.”
The par-5 fifth was playing 521 yards on wind-swept North Ayrshire. Hull found the green in three shots and stood over a 15-foot birdie putt to go back to level par. Instead, the three-time LPGA winner’s putt slid past the hole and caught the stroke, rolling off the back of the green entirely. It took Hull a painful sequence of four separate chip shots to work her way back up to the putting range before she finally holed out for a quadruple-bogey 9.
Links golf courses rarely reward patience the way players hope it will, and Dundonald Links proved that all over again at this year’s Women’s Scottish Open. Firm, sloped greens and tucked pin positions turned the opening round into a survival test for most of the LPGA Tour pros. In Hull’s own admission, tough pin placements weren’t justified.
Even so, Hull made clear she was not using the setup as a full excuse.
“I’ve had a 12-foot putt for birdie and walk off with a nine. Yeah, I had four chips on the slope, but I shouldn’t have putted off the green. Just shows the fact that I am human. Even the world so-and-so can make a nine. I thought it was a pretty good nine at the end of it. I holed a 10-foot putt. So, yeah, I think I even fist-pumped.”
Rightfully so. Despite the early damage, Hull steadied herself with a string of pars and signed for a 6-over 78, well off the pace but not out of the tournament. She retained her streak of making a cut at Dundonald and finished the tournament tied for 44th.
Now she’s at the AIG Women’s Open; Hull remains focused on closing out her season with a major title that has so far eluded her. She carries the same honesty about her golf that defined her answer about the fifth hole.