Charley Hull clinched her first title in two years at the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF – Riyadh, with a closing 6-under 66. The popular Englishwoman has been trending for some time and finally made it back in the winner’s circle.
“I felt really sharp, I played very solidly today,” said Hull of the win in Saudi Arabia. “I made a bogey on the par-5 17th and the par 3, but that was just two three-putts. So quite long putts, in all fairness, and they got away from me a little bit, but felt like I held my game together pretty well. And 18 under for three days is a pretty good score.”
Camels overlook the action on the 18th in Saudi Arabia. (Courtesy Aramco Team Series)
Hull, 28, has enjoyed a strong stretch of play since she slipped in the shower and injured her right shoulder in July. In her last four starts on the LPGA, she hasn’t finished outside the top 20. Not to mention the 6-and-4 drumming of Nelly Korda in Sunday singles at the Solheim Cup. After a T-19 at the Kroger Queen City in September, Hull headed back to England to recharge.
Now, she adds a victory on the Ladies European Tour.
Hull finished at 18 under for the three-day event, three strokes ahead of Denmark’s Nicole Broch Estrup.
“I feel like my game’s been pretty good all season,” said Hull. “I’ve been knocking on the door quite a lot over the past couple years and this week it all came together. I feel good. I’m going to get a hot chocolate [to celebrate], that’s about as exciting as it gets for me.
“I was actually in the gym this morning, I didn’t start my warm-up until 45 minutes before because I needed to get a 5K-run in. I felt really strong out there.”
England’s Charley Hull celebrates her fourth LET title. (Courtesy Aramco Team Series)
A two-time winner on the LPGA, Hull now owns four LET titles. Since her last win in Texas on the LPGA two years ago, she’s recorded eight runner-up finishes across both the LPGA and LET.
“I’m going home for a week before I head back to America for the last two events on the LPGA Tour, which is The Annika event, and then the CME Group Tour Championship,” she said. “I like the Tour Championship golf course. I won there in 2016, so I’m looking forward to them, too, and then home for Christmas – I can’t wait.”
Chiara Tamburlini became the first Swiss player to win the LET Order of Merit after her T-7 finish at Riyadh. The 24-year-old is the seventh player in LET history to win the Order of Merit and Rookie of the Year in the same season, joining Laura Davies, Carlota Ciganda, Esther Henseleit, Jeeno Thitikul, Linn Grant and Trichat Cheenglab.
This marked the fifth and final event of the $1 million Aramco Team Series presented by PIF tournaments organized by Golf Saudi. The LET’s Saudi-backed events remain controversial given the wide-ranging human rights abuses Saudi Arabia has been accused of, especially toward women.