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LPGA teen sensation Hull back to work after Solheim Cup triumph

EDMONTON — Charley Hull returned to work Tuesday, a New York Yankees baseball cap on her head and her country’s heart on her golf bag.The 17-year-old made headlines and raised expectations sky-high on both sides of the Atlantic with a brilliant performance in the European victory Sunday at the Solheim Cup in Denver.
Charley Hull
Charley Hull

EDMONTON — Charley Hull returned to work Tuesday, a New York Yankees baseball cap on her head and her country’s heart on her golf bag.

The 17-year-old made headlines and raised expectations sky-high on both sides of the Atlantic with a brilliant performance in the European victory Sunday at the Solheim Cup in Denver.

But Hull says nothing has changed.

“I’ve always aimed high, so I’m not really bothered by anyone’s expectations. It’s what I think and what I want to do,” said the five-foot-six golfer from Kettering, England, prior to hitting the driving range at the Royal Mayfair Golf Club to prepare for the CN Canadian Women’s Open.

Hull, the youngest ever to play in the Solheim Cup, racked up an impressive 2-1-0 record and took apart American Paula Creamer 5 and 4 in Sunday’s singles.

“I didn’t feel it (the pressure) as much as I thought I would. I felt like it was just another game of golf, you know,” said Hull.

“The crowds were really, really big. People can find them intimidating, so I just kind of tried to trick my mind (to shut the crowds out) and go out and play my own game.”

Hull, who turned pro in March, will play in Edmonton as a sponsor exemption, but has already received permission from the LPGA to play on tour before she turns 18.

She’ll participate in the second stage of Q-school in October, and if all goes well she will be on tour starting Jan. 1. She has already been tearing up the courses so far on the Ladies European tour, with five runner-up finishes — but says she wants to tee it up with the best.

“I want to get on the LPGA,” she said. “Everything seems bigger. The players are better. It’s just playing in front of bigger crowds more, so it’s more fun.”

Hull has already made an impression by not standing out.

She has not courted sponsors in order to avoid distractions.

Her red and black Titleist golf bag is a monument to minimalism. Aside from her name, there is little to distinguish it — no puppet heads or cutesy club covers (“That’s not me,” she said.)

The only personalized item is a fist-sized stuffed heart hanging on the side done up in the flag of Great Britain.

Does it have special meaning?

“My friend gave it to me, so I thought rather than just put it in the (rubbish) bin, I’ll put in on the golf bag,” she said.

How about the Yankees hat? Big fan of America’s iconic sports franchise?

No, she said, it’s just something she picked up in England.

“I wear this hat because it’s more comfortable on my head than the other hats. I don’t even know what the (NY) symbol means.”

Hull is already known for her plain speaking. Recently she said it’s “silly” for some golf courses to have male-members-only policies, adding, “We are all equals and should be treated as such.”

Hull’s father, David, said she got some of that from him.

“I’ve always brought her up to tell the truth, and be honest,” he said. “I think that’s what people should do in life. Say what you see.”