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Charley Hull spent Friday night accidentally crushing her cousin’s lifelong dream. Twenty-four hours later, she nearly crushed the field at the U.S. Women’s Open.
The English star delivered the best round of the championship Saturday at Riviera Country Club, firing a brilliant 6-under 65 to vault into contention heading into the final round. But before she lit up one of golf’s biggest stages, Hull was busy playing tour guide in Malibu with mixed results.
Hull revealed her visiting cousin had spent years imagining Malibu as a real-life version of the “Barbie” movie, complete with surfers, sunshine and glamour around every corner.
The reality didn’t meet her expectations.
“We got down there and I was like, ‘We’re in Malibu,'” Hull recalled. “She’s like, ‘No, we’re not.'”
When her cousin finally realized they had arrived, the reaction wasn’t exactly magical.
“She’s like, ‘My lifelong dream is being crushed.’ She was devastated. It was absolutely hilarious.”
Hull admitted she had tried to warn her beforehand that Malibu might not live up to the fantasy. Instead, she spent the evening laughing as her cousin discovered that La La Land mythology and reality don’t always share the same zip code.
The detour to the California coast was, apparently, exactly what Hull needed.
After grinding through the opening two rounds and struggling to get putts to fall, the 30-year-old arrived Saturday with a much different mindset.
“I kind of like chasing,” Hull said. “I just thought, ‘F*** it,’ and went at everything.”
That approach worked.
Hull carded seven birdies and just one bogey, posting the lowest major championship round of her career and trimming a seven-shot deficit down to three entering Sunday.
The performance continued a trend that has followed Hull throughout her career. Few players are more dangerous when they get aggressive.
Her cousin may have left Malibu disappointed, but Hull left Riviera with a significant confidence boost after her first legitimate run at a major championship.
English (US)