Charley Hull is back in action this week, defending her title at The Ascendant LPGA in Texas.
She’s feeling a little better, she said, after battling a neck sprain at the Solheim Cup two weeks ago. Though Europe retained the cup in Spain, Hull went 1-2-0. She didn’t want to put too much emphasis on her physical health during the competition but admitted on Wednesday that the issue was problematic.
“I had facet sprain, and I really couldn’t swing at all. It was horrible. It still hurts a little bit, but just taking it easy. It’s kind of hard because I love playing golf and I like practicing when I’m at home so it’s hard for me to rest,” she said.
“I found it quite a hard week because I just didn’t feel like I could play the way I wanted to because of my neck. Like if that was a normal event, I wouldn’t have played because I would’ve had to pull out. Had to almost change my swing to swing that week, so then I didn’t hit it very well.”
Before her neck became a concern, Hull decided to address another health issue, but not a physical one.
Hull said she was diagnosed this year with ADHD. It’s not something she had previously addressed, in depth, publicly, but she was open about it during her Wednesday press conference.
“It’s weird, like little things in my golf swing, if my coach gives me a drill to do, I can get it straightaway. So I get things pretty quickly, and that is like kind of good things about ADHD,” Hull said.
“Then other things is where I’m very restless, I can’t sleep, and always have to be doing something because my mind can wander. But then sometimes I can sleep for a day without waking up. It’s weird.
“But, yeah, it was really getting me down in the middle of the year, just this weird feeling inside me, and it wasn’t very good. Obviously, I took some time off and addressed the issue, and now I feel pretty good. I know my triggers and I just work on it.”
In early May, Hull (along with Georgia Hall) withdrew on the Saturday before International Crown week, in which she (and Hall) was to be part of a four-woman team representing England.
Hull didn’t offer a detailed explanation, just saying that she wasn’t feeling well and was going home to see a doctor. Because of the sudden departure and the lack of clarity, Hull received criticism for letting down her teammates.
“At the end of the day, it’s not something I wanted to share at the time because I was going through a bad patch,” she said.
Hull said she has since spoken on a couple of occasions to a mental-health professional but that she doesn’t see anyone regularly. She also said she declined prescription medication.
“At the end of the day, life is life, and you have highs and lows, and everyone goes through things. Sometimes when it comes to mental health, I think people play on it a bit too much rather than just addressing it and working on it yourself,” she said.
“Yeah, I speak to my friends, and if I need to, I speak to the [professional]. I’ve just found certain ways for me to help myself out, and routine is a massive thing for me. So when I’m in a routine, that’s when I find I’m in my happiest place.”
Hull, who lives in Sunningdale, England, said a repetitive schedule is easier to implement at home. She stays active, taking walks and hikes, and she loves to drive (“because it makes me focus on something”). And she practices – too much, at times, her coach thinks.
But golf is her favorite form of therapy.
“I’m my most happiest when I’m on the golf course and challenging myself when I’m practicing and stuff,” she said.
“I love golf. Like, if I was to stop [playing on the LPGA] I would play golf every single day at home. Like, I love playing golf.”
She’s back on tour this week at The Colony, Texas, where she closed in 64 in ’22 to break a six-year winless drought on the LPGA. She’s finished runner-up in three of her last six individual starts, including a playoff loss ahead of the Solheim Cup at the Kroger Queen City Championship.
But even there, even with the outwardly positive result, there was an underlying issue.
“The biggest problem is sometimes when I’m on the road if I’m feeling down, I just can’t sleep at night. Like in Cincinnati, I couldn’t fall asleep until like 3 in the morning, and the way the tee times were on the weekend we had to wake up early, so I was running on like three hours sleep. I was pretty tired for a few weeks after,” she said.
“Yeah, it’s life isn’t it? You got to deal with it.”
