It really feels nice to brush shoulders with your idol. Getting a chance to play with them is surely on the bucket list of every fan. But what if you almost beat your idol in a one-on-one contest? Or put on a show so great that even the greatest LPGA golfer tries to find excuses? Might sound like a dream, but that’s exactly what happened when 13-year-old Bella Watson faced Charley Hull. 

“Yeah, it was really good fun playing with Bella. It was kind of nerve-wracking because she was nearly outdriving me, but I do have a bad back so l’m using that as my excuse. She was pretty impressive and it was good fun to be out there. I suppose she was quite nervous as well, but she handled stuff well,” Hull said, after Watson nearly gave her a tough time. 

Appearing on the ‘England Golf TV,’ Bella, who was in the Southeast Regional squad, expressed her excitement about meeting Hull. Detailing her experience of meeting and playing with her golfing idol, the 13-year-old stated how she had come to watch Hull last year, too. Analyzing the LPGA star’s game, Bella was super impressed to see her incredible short game. After all, as per the young golfer, “that’s what you want to be good at.”

When coach Tom Jordan saw the Sunningdale Foursomes draw, he knew just one thing. Watson had to win her first round game. That’s because Hull and Ryan Evans were two big names who were directly below them. Thus, there was a high chance that young Bella would be able to fulfill her lifelong dream. 

And after witnessing her going almost neck and neck with Hull, coach Jordan understood how special of a golfer she was. Recalling old memories, Watson’s coach pointed out that she came to the golf club at the age of 9. While she was still a newbie, Jordan immediately recognized from her swings that Watson had a lot of potential. 

Four years later, Watson is one of the emerging golfers in the women’s golfing realm. Although she needs to do a lot of hard work to reach an elite position, she has a lot of incredible shots in her arsenal. 

Speaking about her student’s recent experience with Hull, Jordan said, “Hopefully this will help her realize that when she watched Charley Hull today, obviously Charley’s number three in the world, she was hitting neck-and-neck drives with her. She wasn’t that far behind, and it just shows there’s not a massive difference. I think she’s going to use that with a lot of confidence to push her forward over the next few years.”

Meanwhile, as Watson is looking towards a bright future, Hull’s struggles at the Sunningdale Foursomes are expected to be temporary. After all, she is ever so close to dethroning Nelly Korda.

Charley Hull climbs to third yet keeps childhood dream firmly alive

Charley Hull is currently reigning in the 3rd position in the Rolex Rankings. And with that feat, she has etched the record of becoming the first woman from England to be in that position. While she is glad to be in that position, her aim has always been something different.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool. Obviously, my goal since I was young was always to be world No. 1,” said Hull back at the end of February 2026. 

However, she also added, “But I’m not really one to stare at rankings and stuff because it shifts all the time. I just look at it, think it’s pretty cool, carry on, and crack on playing golf.”

Recently, at the Saudi Ladies International, Hull secured her fifth LET title. That catapulted her to the 3rd position. Furthermore, in less than eight months, Hull has managed to climb up in the rankings from 20th position to the 3rd position.

Korda is currently sitting in the second position with 243.79, and Hull is at 224.71. This just leaves a difference of 32.35 points between the two. Now, as Korda has opted to skip the LPGA’s early-year Asian swing in Thailand, Singapore, and China, Hull might just have the opportunity to dethrone Korda and secure the second position. However, fulfilling her childhood dream of reigning in the top rank might still take some time as Jeeno Thitikul is holding the position with 468.94 points.