Hull Downplays Rivalry with Dominant Korda: "First, I Need My Own Major!"

Charley Hull has been quick to minimise any sense of a personal rivalry with world No. 1 Nelly Korda as she prepares for the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

Hull, who is currently ranked seventh in the world, admitted that watching Korda collect major titles has been painful, especially because Hull herself has been haunted by a string of near‑misses in the biggest tournaments. Hull entered the championship with high expectations from the home crowd. She hopes to become the first Englishwoman to capture a major since Georgia Hall lifted the trophy at the same venue in 2018. Despite her talent, Hull’s record in majors reads like a series of runner‑up finishes: she has been second five times, including twice at the AIG Women’s Open in the past three years and most recently behind Korda at the U.S.

Women’s Open in June. When asked about the supposed rivalry, Hull laughed off the idea.

“I don’t really see it as a rivalry at the minute,” she said in her pre‑tournament press conference. “No offence, Nelly has already collected several majors and I have none. I’ve got five second places. Let me get my major first, and then we can talk about a rivalry.” Hull praised Korda’s game, calling her performances “unbelievable” and describing her as “a nice girl” who is doing great things for the sport.

The frustration of finishing second repeatedly is evident in Hull’s comments. “Five second‑place finishes in majors kind of hurts,” she admitted. “I remember walking onto the first‑day tee box last year and looking at the trophy on the posters – I thought, ‘I wish that was me.’” Those words underline the emotional weight of being so close yet still searching for that elusive first major victory.

Hull’s recent form has been a mixed bag. Her runner‑up finish at the U.S.

Women’s Open is the only top‑15 result she has recorded in her last seven starts. The 30‑year‑old also posted a tied‑44th place at the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open, a tournament that was marred by a quadruple‑bogey on the ninth hole of her opening round. Hull explained the disastrous hole, saying, “It was me, but the pin shouldn’t have been there. I saw a birdie putt roll off the green, texted the commissioner right after the round, and pointed out that the pin was placed about a yard from a massive slope on a downhill side.

I had a 12‑foot birdie putt and ended up with a nine. I even chipped four times up the slope, but I shouldn’t have putted off the green. It just shows that even the world No. 1 can make a nine.” Despite the setback, Hull tried to put a positive spin on the experience.

“I thought it was a pretty good nine by the end of it,” she said, adding that she later holed a ten‑foot putt and even gave herself a fist‑bump for the effort. Her candidness about the mistake highlights the human side of professional golf, where even the best players can be tripped up by a misplaced pin or an unexpected slope. Another English contender, Lottie Woad, is also targeting a dream major win. The world No.

5, who has already logged top‑10 finishes in her two previous AIG Women’s Open appearances, said the tournament at Royal Lytham & St Annes is the ultimate British prize. “For any British player, this would be the dream to win,” Woad told reporters.

“I love links golf – it’s a real test with the wind, and it’s always been my favourite to watch. I would love to win it.” Woad also spoke about the growing depth of British talent on both the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour.

She noted that many of her friends are on the cusp of turning professional or are finishing strong amateur careers, indicating a bright future for British women’s golf. “We have a lot more British and English players on the tours now, and the talent pipeline looks healthy. I think British golf is in a great spot,” she added.

Both Hull and Woad will be looking to capitalize on the unique challenges of links golf, where wind, uneven terrain, and unpredictable bounces demand creativity and resilience. Woad summed up the allure of the format: “Links golf is fun but tricky.

You need a bit of luck with the bounces and the wind. You only get to play it a few times a year, so it feels special to hit those shots you wouldn’t normally get in the United States.” The AIG Women’s Open will be broadcast exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, with a new "Featured Groups" segment that begins at 9 a.m. on Thursday and Friday, followed by full coverage from 1 p.m.

The weekend rounds will be shown live from midday, offering fans up to six additional hours of coverage compared with previous years. As the tournament unfolds, the question on everyone’s mind is whether Hull can finally break her major drought and join Korda among the sport’s elite.

While Korda is already a two‑time major winner this season and a favorite to add a third, Hull’s focus remains singular: secure that first major title, put the runner‑up tally behind her, and perhaps, one day, turn the friendly admiration she feels for Korda into a genuine rivalry on the leaderboard.