Charley Hull had an eventful opening round at the Evian Championship. She got off to a rocky start and turned things around. Interestingly, viewers believed that it wasn’t just her golf that saved the round.

At the par-5 15th hole, Hull was spotted by the cameras, holding an ice cream cone. She performed unbelievably after that, and the fans thought that the ice cream was the secret. Hull went on to break the bubble.

“I didn’t eat the ice cream. My boyfriend got it for my caddie, so I held it for a minute when he was putting my club in the bag,” Hull admitted to reporters.

Hull’s caddie has the right idea to beat the lingering heat wave in Europe. However, it was Hull who turned things up on the back nine on Thursday.

Following two bogeys in the first six holes, the 30-year-old carded two back-to-back birdies on the 7th and 8th holes. 

The three-time LPGA winner did not stop there. It took something more than the ice cream to put up a strong finish.

“I kind of just believed in myself and just kind of relaxed out there and took my time and took advantage of the birdies,” Hull added, as reported by Steve Coulter of Golf Channel.

On the back nine, Hull hit three birdies and an eagle to wrap the round at 5-under 66. As a result, she remained in the mix after recording her lowest opening round at a major. 

The strong start also gives Hull another opportunity to finally end her long wait for a maiden major title after several near misses in recent years.

Charley Hull’s close calls at majors

Charley Hull's strong opening round has once again put her in contention at a major, something she's experienced several times without getting over the line.

Hull’s latest runner-up finish came at the U.S. Women's Open as she secured a T2 finish, one stroke behind 4-time major winner Nelly Korda, as recorded on the LPGA website.

Last year at the AIG Women's Open, the 30-year-old finished two strokes behind winner Miyū Yamashita, alongside Japanese golfer Minami Katsu.

It was the same story for her at the 2023 U.S. Women's Open. American golfer Allisen Corpuz won her first LPGA Tour title, leaving behind Hull.

At the 2023 AIG Women's Open, the title drifted away from Hull in the final round as American golfer Lilia Vu won by six shots.

A decade ago, Hull and South Korean golfer Chun In-gee fell short at the ANA Inspiration by one stroke to the winner, LPGA pro Lydia Ko. 

With another promising start already in the books at Evian, Hull will hope this week's momentum finally leads to the breakthrough that has narrowly eluded her throughout her career.

What are your thoughts on Hull’s opening-round performance at the Evian Championship? Share them in the comments. 

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Written by

Avishek Sarkar

Edited by

Rudra Dubey