Charley Hull is competing in this week’s ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open, her first start since withdrawing from the Amundi Evian Championship two weeks ago.
Hull was carted off 12 holes into her opening round of the LPGA’s fourth of five majors after twice collapsing.
Feeling “80%” better Wednesday at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire, Scotland, Hull described in detail what transpired in France:
“I was feeling really rough on the Monday and I was being sick all day because I flew home after Ireland. And then Tuesday I woke up and I still wasn’t feeling very well. I had a practice round and I was just so tired. All my bones was aching in my body, and I had a really high temperature,” she said.
“And the next day I played the pro-am and I soldiered through the pro-am, because I didn’t want to let my pro-am team down. But I felt really rough, and all my bones was aching still.
“Then I woke up the next morning on Thursday and I woke up in the morning and I felt really dizzy, cold sweats, had no energy.
“I got through about 12 holes, and I was actually playing really solid golf. And then I teed off on the back nine. So it was on the third hole of the golf course, which was my 12th hole, I felt really dizzy and I was in the bunker hitting a fairway shot and I had to sit down for a minute because my eyesight went and my hearing went — and I don’t know if anyone has ever fainted before, but your eyesight goes and then your hearing goes, and then it goes all muffled.
“So I sat down, got up, hit my bunker shot, actually nearly made birdie. Walked to the next tee, called the medics, and then before I hit my tee shot, my eyesight went again, my hearing went, and then my knees gave away and I, like, collapsed and fainted. And then I got back up, hit my tee shot. Felt like — sit down, I was thinking, I’ve only got six holes left. I’ve got some birdie holes. Like, just finish the day, get to 3 or 4 under and I’m sound.
“Walked off the tee box, 20 yards off, I don’t even remember anything. My caddie said my eyes rolled to the back of my head and I was out for over a minute. And the security guard and the medic caught me just before I was about to hit my head on a concrete slab. So I was out for a minute.
”… when I woke up from fainting I felt, like, I come out of a really nice deep sleep. Like, I felt really nice. I was like, oh, this feels good. I’m, like, that’s not my bedroom. I see birds above me and about 15 people around me and I was like, where the f** am I? Oh, sorry. Didn’t mean to swear. Sorry. But yeah, that’s what I see when it happened.”
Hull said her agent asked new LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler if Hull could finish her opening round later in the day but that, as Hull knew it would be, was denied.
A major part of Hull’s recovery has been rest, which means she hasn’t been able to workout the last two weeks and can’t do so for two more.
“I don’t like sitting still,” she said. “Drives me bonkers, not being able to go to the gym. I’ve been chilling and practicing. I’ve still been practicing pretty hard. I’m not one to just do something. So just twiddling my thumbs.”
Hull will at least get back to competition Thursday, alongside world No. 1 Nelly Korda and Lottie Woad, who nearly won the Evian in her final start as an amateur and is making her professional debut this week.
“Probably won’t see me strolling 30 yards ahead of everyone like I usually do,” Hull said. “Probably be 30 yards behind everyone, but I’ll get it done.”
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