BELLEAIR, Fla. — Charley Hull has a running bet with her boyfriend this week at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican.
“Every five birdies I make, we have an extra day on our holiday,” explained Hull. “So I was trying to make 10 birdies. Hopefully, I’ll have more over the weekend, and I have a two-week holiday at the end of the year.”
That extra motivation seemed to work well for Hull on Thursday at Pelican Golf Club, as the Englishwoman made seven birdies and one bogey en route to an opening 6-under 64, one that has her sitting in a tie for first alongside Epson Tour graduate Jiwon Jeon. It’s the second time this season that the two-time LPGA Tour winner has held the first-round lead or co-lead, and it’s the first time Hull has done so since she led the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews in August.
The 64 ties her career-low round on the LPGA Tour, which Hull last shot on the final day of the 2022 Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America, and it was a first-round effort that she was incredibly pleased with, especially considering how difficult the conditions can sometimes be at Pelican Golf Club.
“I felt like I played pretty solid. I hit it pretty well and putted pretty well,” said Hull. “I made a bit of a silly bogey on my 8th hole, but it was the 17th hole of the golf course because I started on the back nine. Just three-whacked it. Apart from that, I didn’t really leave much out there. Just one birdie putt. I think it was on my fifth hole on the back nine. But, apart from that, I played pretty well.”
Hull is also feeling pretty good this week in Florida, as in her last worldwide start, she won the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF – Riyadh on the Ladies European Tour, her first victory on the Euro circuit since 2021. She won by three shots over Nicole Broch Estrup in Saudi Arabia, and after getting off to such a strong start at The ANNIKA, it’s a performance Hull will be looking to recreate over the next three rounds in South Florida.
“It was really good. I played pretty solid. I was in a good place. I’m just really happy,” Hull said. “I feel like I’ve been playing very, very well all year. Sometimes, you just forget how to win. So that’s kind of reminded me how to win.”
This week is Hull’s 16th start of the 2024 LPGA Tour season, and in her 15 previous events, she has only had one missed cut and one withdrawal, earning 10 top-20 results, four of which were top fives. Of those top 20s, three came at major championships, as Hull tied for 19th at the U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally at Lancaster Country Club, tied for 16th at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club and tied for 20th at the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews.
Even with all of her solid play, Hull is only ranked 52nd in the Race to the CME Globe this season, and while it’s unlikely that she will fall out of the top 60 and fail to qualify for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, an event at which Hull earned her first LPGA Tour victory in 2016, a top finish would firmly solidify her place in the field at Tiburón Golf Club and would be a welcome momentum boost as she chases down that record-breaking $4 million winner’s check that is up for grabs next week.
But per the usual, Hull is laser-focused on what’s in front of her and will be working to win her first LPGA Tour title since 2022 over the next three days, a goal she could absolutely achieve at Pelican Golf Club if her first-round score is any indication. She has only teed it up in one previous edition of The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, doing so last year and finishing in a tie for 25th, but the tournament venue is one at which Hull enjoys competing, saying the conditions have been impressive so far this week, particularly considering how hard the course was hit by Hurricane Milton.
“I think you have a bit of an advantage if you’re long off the tee,” said Hull. “I think if you are just playing steady, good golf, you’re going to score around here. It’s in fantastic condition. I feel like it’s one of the best golf courses we play all year. The greens are super-fast. They’re very, very, very fast out there.”
Hull’s second round gets underway at 12:31 p.m. on Friday in Belleair, Fla., and she will once again try to make as many birdies as possible on day two at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican as she continues to search for that elusive third victory and holiday-lengthening birdies at Pelican Golf Club with 54 holes still to play.