LYTHAM ST ANNES, England — Charley Hull lowered her gaze for a brief moment during her pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday at the AIG Women’s Open.

A question had come up regarding what the inquiring media member referred to as a “rivalry” between the Englishwoman and Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 Nelly Korda. Of course, the ever-candid Hull kept it real with her response, not mincing words, very much per her usual.

But if you noticed that almost imperceptible flutter of her eyelids toward her twiddling thumbs, the fact that she has yet to claim one of the five biggest titles in all of women’s golf clearly weighs heavier on Hull’s shoulders than she’d maybe like to admit.

“I don't really see it as a rivalry at the minute, because no offense, Nelly (Korda) has got however many majors and I've got none. I've got five second places,” said Hull. “So let me get my major in first, and then that's something we can think about in the future.

“But listen, what Nelly is doing for the game of golf is unbelievable and so good to watch, and she's a nice girl as well. I just want to get over the line and win my first major. Five second-place finishes in majors kind of hurt. I remember looking at the faces walking in on the first day from last year and stuff I was like, ‘Oh, I wish that was me.’”

The AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club marks Hull’s final opportunity in 2026 to fill in that blank on her professional golf resume, as this championship is the fifth and final major of the year on the LPGA Tour.

Because of her storied history in both major tournaments and her national open, Charley’s is generally the name on everyone’s lips entering this championship as it pertains to who’s going to win, even more so considering her propensity for success in the game’s biggest events.

Since 2014, Hull has collected 12 top-10 results in majors, five of which are T2 or better finishes and two of which have come at the AIG Women’s Open. Most recently, Charley fell to Miyu Yamashita in 2025 at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club after carding a pair of dream-dashing bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes to finish two shots behind the Japanese native.

Before last season, Hull had previously come in solo second at Walton Heath Golf Club following a dominant performance by American Lilia Vu, who ultimately won by a whopping six strokes to claim the third of what would ultimately be four victories in 2023.

Outside of the AIG Women’s Open, Charley has tallied two of those 12 top 10s in 2026, picking up a backdoor tie for 10th at the first Chevron Championship to be hosted at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston, Texas this past April. The 30-year-old then gave a spirited chase in pursuit of Nelly Korda at the U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally at Riviera Country Club, eventually tying for second alongside Gaby Lopez after shooting 7-under (65-67) over the weekend in Los Angeles to vault into the top five on the leaderboard.

Now, teeing it up in her home country in her 15th consecutive AIG Women’s Open, the Englishwoman’s opening 2-under 69 has her squarely in the mix at the year’s final major championship, with Charley once again looking primed to be the story as the weekend shapes up at Royal Lytham and St Annes, despite dealing with a bout of uneasy butterflies on Thursday afternoon.

“I was super nervous on the first tee. I was so nervous,” Hull revealed. “It's even more nerve-wracking when you're having to hit an iron because you have to stripe an iron shot. When it's a driver with first tee nerves, you don't have to quite strike it. I was happy I made a birdie, and I piped my driver up two. I had a very awkward yardage in for my second shot, and I just didn't quite trust my line and the club that I chose, and three-whack there.

“But I missed quite a few putts today that I felt I should have holed, but I felt like I stayed in there pretty well considering how nervous I was because I feel there was a lot of pressure on me out there.”

No matter what transpires over the next 54 holes at the AIG Women’s Open, in a lot of ways, Charley can already chalk up this week as a personal success, having launched her brand-new YouTube channel, Sweet Spot Golf, on Monday, July 27.

Even in its earliest iteration, the content series seems to be a perfect platform for Hull’s delightfully chippy unpredictability thus far, a spontaneity that pairs well with the banter provided by Charley’s co-star Ryan Evans, with whom she has played golf since they were children.

While meeting with the media ahead of the start of the AIG Women’s Open, the three-time LPGA Tour winner gave insight into how the idea for the channel came about, citing hers and Ryan’s on-course antics as a big reason they both were interested in stepping in front of a camera and putting themselves out there for the world to see.

“Ryan (Evans, Hull’s co-star) is one of my very good friends, my best friends, and he's played golf with me since I was 10, 11 years old,” explained Hull on Tuesday. “We was playing loads of golf rounds last year, and some of the rounds, I think one of the rounds I was 8-under through nine holes, and then he birdied six of the last seven holes to then be all square.

“I turned around to him, I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh. We have played so well and had so much banter in this round. Imagine someone recording this. It would be hilarious. He was like, ‘Yeah,’ and I was like, ‘Maybe we should start our own YouTube channel,’ like joking around. I actually never watched YouTube golf, just to let you guys know. So, then we've thought, screw this, go ahead with it, and launched it the other day.”

At the time of this writing, the channel already has nearly 7,000 subscribers, and the pair’s first video, which was filmed at Royal Lytham and St Annes, has been viewed over 60,000 times. It’s an undertaking that few—if any at all—LPGA Tour athletes have ever committed to in a full-time capacity, particularly while balancing a full competitive schedule on the biggest stage in women’s golf.

But for Hull, it’s been a treat to see the project come to life.

“I said to Ryan, I don't actually care. I'm not doing it to make money or anything,” said Hull. “I just wanted to do it. I like little challenges, little projects, and I just love playing golf.”

Maybe even more so, Hull loves contending for the most significant titles in the women’s game. And while she has already found the “sweet spot” this week in terms of getting this off-course venture off the ground, after a strong first-round showing in England, Charley is now looking to do the same in pursuit of the trophy she wants the most at the AIG Women’s Open.

England’s Charley Hull Hoping to Find “Sweet Spot”, Win AIG Women’s Open

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