When Gabby Herzig writes about golf, people read. So when The Athletic’s writer wrote an in-depth profile of LPGA Tour star Charley Hull, it got traction. Reason? For the first time, Hull talked about her marriage and divorce from MMA fighter Ozzie Smith and how she was able to maintain playing top-level golf even as her personal life was falling apart. The golfer said she took the road that made her “stronger,” and that has gained her a lot of respect.

Recently on the Mixed Bag podcast, Mad Adkins urged listeners to read Herzig’s work.

“Not much else … but everyone should go eat Gabby Herzig’s Charley Hull Profile … It’s nice to have not a superficial kind of look at … Charley Hull … and some really great kind of tidbits and things I wasn’t even aware of too… I like a long form. I like a deep dive into the character and the person that is Charley Hull.”

That conversation with Herzig disclosed Hull’s hardships during one of the darkest chapters of her life.

Adkins wasn’t alone. Kevin Van, another voice on the podcast, chimed in as well.

“Yeah, she went through a lot to do that divorced deal. That was kind of something that not a lot of people really know about,” he said, acknowledging that the divorce was far more difficult than most fans realized.

What struck both was Hull’s resilience during those years. “Yeah and to Charlie, she just powered through it and kept playing the great golf that she plays. I don’t know how but … she is built different than most of the rest of us,” Mad Adkins observed.

Hull married Smith in September 2019, when she was only 23. He was 14 years older than Hull. After dating for a year and a half, it seemed like the best time to get married. But the relationship fell apart practically right after the wedding. Hull wanted the divorce to be complete as soon as possible so that things would be stable again, but the emotional toll didn’t go away with the paperwork. The divorce was final in 2021. Hull never talked about what went wrong in public until Herzig’s profile came out.

And her escape? Well, it was golf!

Charley Hull’s work life and her personal life revealed different stories from 2020 to 2021. She finished in the top ten in three majors, won in Abu Dhabi, made about a million dollars on the LPGA Tour, and didn’t lose a match at the 2021 Solheim Cup, where Europe beat the US. Career-defining achievements on paper. But behind the scenes, she was struggling to hold herself together.

Her best friend, Georgia Hall, saw how she dealt with it. The 3-time LPGA Tour winner recalled Hall telling her, “Charley, I don’t know how you can go out there and play unbelievable golf with the amount of s— you have going on, anyone else would be a mental wreck.” Hull didn’t disagree. “It was my escape,” she admitted, explaining how the game became her lifeline.

The praise Hull receives now isn’t just about her golf scores. It’s about how strong you had to be to show up and do well, even while you were going through trauma that would have stopped most people. She took the harder way, and that choice made her stronger. The 29-year-old was diagnosed with ADHD two years after her divorce.

Charley Hull may have taken some time off to recuperate on her own. Instead, she used her pain to fuel her performance. Sometimes the toughest thing to do is keep going. And that resilience continues to define her today.

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Near-miss at Grant Thornton highlights Hull’s high standards

As the 2025 season winds down, Charley Hull proves her importance to the LPGA even in weeks without a title. Hull and Michael Brennan finished second at the Grant Thornton Invitational, three strokes behind the winners. They were reliable, competitive, and good leaders. Even though they nearly lost, Hull’s effort kept them in the running all week and in the spotlight.

Hull’s effect on the team’s course was clear when she led them through tough times. Brennan readily admitted her part, adding, “Yeah, Charley’s a baller… she kept us in it pretty much single-handedly, so it was pretty impressive.”

His assessment of Hull reflects her well-struck balls and good decisions, especially when things were going wrong. Her ability to keep the partnership stable strengthened her image as a tour staple.

After the event, she admitted that the week hadn’t provided her with the enjoyment she had hoped for, especially because she had played well all season. That honesty brought depth to the result, revealing that a player was still trying to improve rather than accepting near misses. It reminded her that her goals went beyond podiums.

Brennan’s week had its own meaning because he joined the field on short notice and took advantage of the chance. “Yeah, the week was amazing,” he said. “I found out Monday I was playing, and I appreciate Charley saying that I was OK being her partner for the week. ”

As 2025 comes to an end, it’s evident that Charley Hull has had an impact, not just on the outcomes but also on the standard she sets for herself and those around her.