Charley Hull’s hotel air conditioner has wrecked her sleep and kept her from feeling well in France, but her game sure didn’t show it. The 25-year-old Englishwoman put together a third-round 66 to jump into a share of eighth at the Amundi Evian Championship at 9 under while compatriot Georgia Hall is tied for 21st at 6 under. South Korea’s Jeongeun Lee6 leads the field by five at 18 under.
For many players in the field, such fine play would serve as a springboard for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, but both British players opted out of the Games. Hull, who was No. 41 in the Rolex Rankings when she decided not to compete, would’ve been replaced in the field by Hall. But after Hall, 25, made a similar decision, it was Jodi Ewart Shadoff who qualified to join Mel Reid in Japan.
After Friday’s moving Opening Ceremony, both Hull and Hall say they have no regrets. Hull said it was the bubble restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic that ultimately caused her to withdraw.
“I don’t cope very well in situations like that like mentally,” she said.
“Being in my room and just the golf course is not good. With the pandemic going on, I don’t know, I just feel like it’s – we’ve got some busy weeks, we’ve got two majors, Evian and then we have got the British Open as well.
“So for my best preparation for the British Open, I don’t want to be over there and being frustrated not allowed out of my room. This is the best way I felt like I could prepare for that, which is a shame. Obviously, one million percent if it wasn’t this pandemic, I’d have been there.”
Hall, the 2018 AIG Women’s British Open winner, said that while she might have thought a year ago that it would’ve been a goal to play, she wasn’t really aware at the time of how the schedule would pan out.
“As the year went on, I saw how tight it was for the Scottish and British,
said Hall. “I didn’t quite realize back then because I didn’t really look at the dates, as you would. But they’re very tight, and my priority was the Scottish and British Open, so that’s why I didn’t play … hopefully be playing golf in the next one. Still pretty young, so, yeah, I think when Paris comes around schedule-wise I’ll be looking to play if I get in.”