What seemed like a harmless prank to Charley Hull has enraged fans who claim she pulled a fast one on her caddie, Adam Woodward. Ahead of the tournament, the 30-year-old led Woodward to believe he had won £100,000 on a scratch card, only to reveal later that it was a prank. Hull, who filmed the entire scene, drew fierce backlash after the video exploded online. Here is what happened, why it riled some folks, and how Charley has responded to the entire episode.

Okay, so was the prank that bad?

Well, you be the judge. Hull and Adam Woodward have been working together for the last 11 years. Hull describes her as a big brother and a friend.

“We’re very, very close. He’s like a big brother to me. He is one of my best friends,” said the English Pro. “He’s always taking the Mickey out of me.”

So when she went to Blackpool, Hull picked up a fake £100,000 scratch card and handed it to her caddie, Woodward, on their way to the players’ lounge the next day. He scratched it, believed he had won, and reacted exactly how anyone would. Woodward jumped around the lounge, smiling, giggling, and giving everybody a high five. He was so happy; he was ready to take one day’s leave to celebrate.

Much to the disappointment of everyone on the team, they eventually had to sit him down and tell him it was a fake card. Hull later joked Woodward was ready to sack her.

So how did the fans react when they saw it?

Not very kindly.

Some were enraged. Infuriated. Ballistic. Some said Woodward deserved better after everything he’s put into her bag over the years. The joke was quickly interpreted as cruel. Why?

Well, some folks on X and Reddit claimed Hull could’ve easily given Woodward a £100,000 check. Instead, she chose to make a clown out of him. Moreover, fans were angry that Hull, supposedly being a rich golfer, was treating her “poor” caddie as a toy.

You can say half of these guys are bots, and the rest have never touched a golf club. But some of the comments came from persons who were actually recreational golfers or have been following the sport for some time.

Meanwhile, four-time major winner Laura Davies criticized Charley Hull’s fake scratch card prank on her caddie, calling the stunt “extremely cruel” during tournament commentary.

Hull’s social media feed was flooded with hate comments where people criticized her for being cruel and remorseless. Ironic, considering Woodward himself posed for a picture afterward. And Hull said she did feel a tad bit guilty after watching Woodward’s face fall once he learned the truth. But soon after, Woodward thought it was too funny to regret.

The three-time LPGA Tour winner has now responded to the criticism following the second round of the AIG Women’s Open, refusing to bow to public pressure.

Charley Hull hits back for the first time

“But yeah, I think people need to lighten up if they are taking that too seriously, because it was pretty funny,” said Hull.

That was Hull’s first comment when asked about what she thinks. Clearly she wasn’t happy that people chose to judge without thinking about their relationship. And as for her prank, she had a few more tricks on her sleeve.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Hull revealed she had pranked her physio with a taser when she shook his hand. He was her third victim in two weeks, the other being Ryan Evans, her friend and former DP World Tour pro. What did she do?

Smashed fish and chips—an iconic British dish—on his face. Before you scream, it was part of her new YouTube video. And it was a response to what Ryan did. They were playing a match and Ryan blew a horn right on Hull’s backswing. The English golfer got one back.

“I f***king knew something was coming,” Evans said, laughing.

Hull was asked if she would play the prank on Woodward again. She said “100%”.

“I don’t care if you don’t get my humor—my friends get my humor, and that’s why they’re my friends. I wouldn’t do it to a random person.”

That riled the fans further but Hull refused to back down.

Charley Hull says she doesn’t care about the critics

Woodward had apparently also texted her to say it had been one of the funniest weeks he had experienced because of the joke. Hull also urged people to stop posting negative comments, reiterating that critics should “lighten up.” But ultimately, she did not care if people continued to disapprove of the prank. 

When asked about switching off comments on her social media, Hull revealed she had considered it until her boyfriend suggested otherwise. 

“My boyfriend said to me last night, ‘Free publicity is good publicity. Today’s newspaper is tomorrow’s fish and chip paper’. I was like, ‘Yeah, true.’ Then we just laughed it off, and then we haven’t really spoken about it since.”

She even asked fans to “Just grow a pair of b****.” From Hull’s point of view, everything seems dandy with her relationship with her caddie.

After scoring 2-under par 69 in the first round on Thursday, an unaffected Hull made even par in the second, tying for seventh place. 

As the 30-year-old heads into Moving Day, her caddie has yet to make a public statement regarding the prank and whether he found it funny or cruel. But the duo appears to have a close relationship, having collaborated since 2015.