Clouds of worry might be surrounding Charley Hull right now at the Ford Championship. The English golfer had an incredible bogey-free first round at Arizona. Unfortunately, in the second round, she was seen somewhat struggling. She shot 3 under on Friday, consisting of 1 bogey. In times like these, any kind of praise might work as a charm to give that push, right? Luckily, Hull just got that. Enter Lydia Ko.
After the conclusion of the second round of the Ford Championship, Lydia Ko talked about her experience in the press conference. She was asked about being energetic in the course and how it felt to bounce off each other. As a response, Ko said, “Yeah, we had a great group. I haven’t really played a lot with Ronni, but she has a game that I personally really like.” However, she had some extra words of praise for Charley Hull and a five-word message to lift her spirits.
“I’ve been paired a lot with Charley. She’s good at everything, so it was a great pairing. I think we all played really solid. Charley was a bit of an inspiration for us yesterday, shooting the 9-under par.” Charley Hull shot a career-best 63 on Thursday. This isn’t the first time Ko has praised Hull for her dynamic game.
She did the same in Singapore at the HSBC Women’s World Classic Championship as she reflected on her battle with the English golfer. Lydia Ko admitted that she was nervous, but her familiarity with Hull’s game helped her stay focused. “Obviously I was nervous. I wanted to play good golf. But I’ve played with Charley and Jeeno quite a bit over the past coupleof years, and they are some of my favorite players to play with,” Ko said.
Speaking of struggles in the second round in Arizona, Charley Hull opened up, saying, “It’s kind of hard obviously backing up a really good score the day before. Then in your mind you’re thinking, oh, can I get to 60, do you know what I mean?” However, the golfer remained positive and didn’t let the score affect her further, adding, “I felt like I played pretty solid out there today. I holed some good putts, and I missed some that I probably should have holed, but it was a bit windy out there today. It was a little bit trickier on some of the holes, but I’m pretty happy with that and looking forward to the weekend.”
Dec 14, 2024; Naples, Florida, USA; Lydia Ko walks on the first tee during the second round of the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
It’s been three years since Charley Hull won at the 2022 Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America. No doubt she has delivered solid performances over the years, but her winless streak continues. Looking back at the Ford Championship, securing a title may prove even more challenging given her history at this fairly new tournament. How so?
Charley Hull withdrew from the 2024 Ford Championship
Last year, at the FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship, Charley Hull finished at T10 and was looking strong coming into the Ford Championship. However, things took an unfortunate turn after the first round of the tournament as she started feeling sick. It’s true that after carding one with a few par putts at the front nine, one bogey, and one birdie in the first round, Hull did enter the second round.
However, after playing the 9th hole and finishing the front, Hull abruptly withdrew. Later, the LPGA Tour Media posted on X and cited Hull’s withdrawal due to an undisclosed illness. In the past, the golfer has struggled with a neck injury but it wasn’t the reason for her withdrawal.
Do you think this year she’ll win? Let us know in the comments below.
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