Charley Hull, one of the LPGA’s most popular players, was at the center of a scary situation in the first round of the Evian Championship.
The popular English golfer was forced to withdraw from the fourth major of the season after an apparent medical incident.
Charley Hull Collapses on Fourth Hole During Evian Championship
Hull withdrew after she collapsed twice on the fourth hole at the Evian Resort Golf Course in France.
According to NBC Sports, Hull had been seen sitting down on a previous hole and then collapsed on the tee box at No. 4. After collapsing for the first time, Hull received medical treatment for 15 minutes. The group behind Hull’s was allowed to play through while she was treated.
However, Hull then collapsed again after hitting her tee shot, per NBC Sports, and that’s when the 29-year-old pulled out of the tournament.
Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols relayed on X that the broadcast noted Hull had been dealing with a virus. It doesn’t seem to be too serious, though, as NBC Sports also mentioned Hull was feeling better and was seen speaking with other players after the incident.
Hull’s Streaky Majors Run Takes Another Hit
It’s obviously a tough break for Hull, who came into the week with high hopes. The No. 19 player in the Rolex rankings was looking to put forth a better effort after missing the cut in the Evian a year ago. Hull’s best finish at the Evian came in 2022 when she finished tied for third place.
Majors have been a struggle for the two-time LPGA winner over the last couple of years. It has been a feast-or-famine showing, with Hull missing the cut in five of her 13 majors (coming into this week) since the start of 2023, mixing in a pair of T-2nd finishes at the U.S. Women’s Open and Women’s British Open in 2023.
This season, she missed the cut at the Chevron Championship but had started to show signs of life at the U.S. Women’s Open and Women’s PGA Championship where she finished T-12th in both.
There also was no shortage of chances for Hull and the rest of the field to go low, based on the early wave. Three players — Gabi Ruffels, Andrea Lee and Leona Maguire — all fired scores of 6-under 65 to open the tournament. At least 10 players in the morning groupings walked off with scores of at least 4-under or better.
Lee specifically raved about the “phenomenal” conditions on the course for the first round. The winning score at the Evian has been no worse than 14-under since 2018.
Defending champion Ayaka Furue, who won the tournament a year ago at 19-under, looked poised for a strong defense of her title. She birdied five of her first 11 holes to open her defense.
As for Hull, assuming she gets a clean bill of health, she’ll have one more chance to get her first career major in August when the AIG Women’s Open is held at Royal Porthcawl in Wales. Her best career finish in a major came at the Women’s Open in 2023 when she recorded a solo second-place finish.
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