Charley Hull doubles down on caddie prank after strong start to Women’s Open

News that Charley Hull had slept for only three hours before her second round at the Women’s Open fuelled an obvious conclusion. With noisy fallout continuing from the 30-year-old’s prank on her caddie, it was assumed to be affecting her off the course. Not so, as it transpired. In typically emphatic style, Hull urged those who cannot accept criticism to “grow a pair of balls” after signing for a resilient 71 at Royal Lytham & St Annes.After Hull tricked her bag man Adam Woodward into believing he had won £100,000 from a fake scratchcard, some of the reaction was fierce. Laura Davies, one of the greats of women’s golf, called Hull’s actions “extremely cruel”. After round one at Lytham, Hull told her detractors to “loosen up”. That, too, fuelled castigation of the Englishwoman. Rather than back down, she has doubled down.“You put yourself in the limelight so you would be silly to think there will not be comments like that,” said Hull of the disapproval towards her.“I think you see some people saying: ‘I really struggle from these comments.’ They’re almost looking for sympathy. You’re in such a good position in life. There are people way worse off in life and you’re moaning about what people are saying about you.Charley Hull reacts after chipping in at the 17th hole during the second round. Photograph: Jon Super/AP“I just think like, I don’t know, grow a pair of balls and just forget about it. Because if that’s the worst thing in life, people saying bad stuff about you, you really have not got life that bad. My boyfriend said to me last night: ‘Free publicity is good publicity. Today’s newspaper is tomorrow’s fish-and-chip paper.’ I was like, yeah, true. Then we just laughed it off and then we haven’t really spoken about it since.”To everyone on the outside, though, this is an ongoing theme.It must be recognised that Woodward, Hull’s long-time caddie, has shrugged off the episode. “What people don’t understand is mine and Adam’s relationship,” Hull added. “We’re very, very close. He’s like a big brother to me. He is one of my best friends. He came to Wimbledon with me the other week.“He’s always taking the mickey out of me. He thought the joke was brilliant himself. He was showing it. He was laughing hard about it.“Then when you hear comments, so many people saying how bad it is, just lighten up. You obviously don’t get my humour and I don’t care if you don’t get my humour.“My friends get my humour and that’s why they’re my friends. I wouldn’t do it to a random person that I knew wouldn’t take it very well. We all knew Adam, he is the king of pranks. The amount of pranks he and his caddie mates have are way worse than that. So he’s pretty chill. People need to chill out about that. Adam is loving the attention from it. He texted me last night saying this has been one of the funniest weeks ever because of that prank.”Lost in this melee is the fact Hull is well-placed to win her first major title. She may well remain the story of this tournament for different reasons than has been the case thus far.The highlight of day two was her bunker shot from greenside at the 17th, which found the bottom of the cup. A hole earlier and with her ball in a fairway divot, Hull twice backed off her approach after being distracted by a fidgety cameraman.“Everyone makes mistakes sometimes,” said Hull. “Bless him.” Life around this golfer is never dull.In tougher conditions than Thursday, Hull’s minus-two aggregate left her only four adrift of the early leader, Japan’s Shiho Kuwaki. Her brief sleep proved no hindrance whatsoever.Shiho Kuwaki was the early second-round leader on -6. Photograph: Jon Super/AP“I slept 12 hours the night before,” Hull said. “After a late finish it takes me a while to wind down. I had a lot of adrenaline going through me. When you know you’ve got to be up early you’re like: ‘I want to go to sleep’ and then you can’t sleep because you’re thinking about going to sleep.“I’m quite weird, I can sleep for 16 hours straight. I’ve slept for 20 hours before.”Hull’s total has been matched, somewhat extraordinarily, by the Spanish amateur Paula Martín Sampedro. When asked if she can win, the 20-year-old was admirably defiant. “I think I can,” she said. “If I play my best, I definitely can.” Top amateur honours at least should be a formality in this form.Paula Martin Sampedro, the Spanish amateur, said she can win the Open after an impressive first two rounds. Photograph: Jon Super/APJeeno Thitikul’s 73 slid her back to five under par. A missed cut for Georgia Hall at the venue where she won the 2018 Women’s Open surely ends any lingering hopes of reaching this year’s Solheim Cup.Team Europe will be confirmed on Monday, with the event taking place in the Netherlands in September. Megan Khang also headed for an early flight out of Lancashire with Miyu Yamashita, the 2025 champion, another to last only 36 holes.