As Charley Hull arrives at Royal Lytham & St. Annes for the landmark 50th AIG Women’s Open, the same question of a maiden major victory continues to follow her. With another home-soil opportunity ahead and the weight of several painful near-misses still fresh, the spotlight has rarely been brighter. But one of her biggest rivals has offered a candid perspective ahead of the event. Nelly Korda insists Hull’s runner-up finishes are proof of progress, not disappointment.

“For sure. That’s sometimes how she goes. It’s about putting yourself in that position. You can’t control what others are doing, but she’s doing something right to always be there and be relevant, to be in the hunt. It’s kind of like Sam Burns. He’s been in the hunt a lot during major championships; hasn’t got it done. Eventually he will. You can’t get discouraged; it has to be encouraging,” Nelly Korda said in a press conference ahead of the AIG Women’s Open 2026 when asked if Hull should just keep banging on the door.

“She’s such a great personality. I think it would be great for her to do obviously on kind of home soil, too. She’s an amazing player. Funny personality for sure. I enjoy playing with her any time.”

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Hull has five runner-up finishes without a major win. The first of them came at the 2016 ANA Inspiration (now Chevron Championship), where she finished runner-up, losing by one shot to Lydia Ko. Since then, she finished runner-up at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open, 2023 AIG Women’s Open, 2025 AIG Women’s Open, and 2026 U.S. Women’s Open.

Charley Hull herself admitted that this was becoming a little frustrating for her. Speaking ahead of the AIG Women’s Open, she admitted that, “Five second-place finishes in majors kind of hurts.” She also revealed that when she arrived at the event last year and saw the photos of past champions, she wished it had been her.

Burns, 30, finished runner-up at the 2026 U.S. Open, one shot behind Wyndham Clark with a total of 277. The week prior, he placed third at The Open, two shots behind Ryan Fox. Despite multiple close calls, analysts believe Burns is on the verge of a breakthrough. Korda’s message is that Hull should view her near-misses the same way, signs she is consistently in contention.

Korda is not just randomly giving out advice to Charley Hull. She herself is planning to follow the same.

Nelly Korda’s Own Approach

Korda admitted she also once struggled with frustration herself. In 12 starts this season, she has four victories, most recently at the U.S. Women’s Open, and three runner-up finishes.

“I just decided that I need to stop getting so frustrated with everything,” she explained. “Like I’m having a great shot, be in a divot, and I would get frustrated. What is going on? Why am I getting these bounces? I just really hate this attitude. It’s draining. I told myself, I’m not going to have this attitude. You slip back into it when you get tired, but you snap out of it. You’re here to try your best, control what you can control.”

By focusing on resilience, Korda has turned frustration into fuel and now offers Hull the same mindset as she chases her first major title at the AIG Women’s Open 2026.