Charley Hull heavily hounded after ice cream incident: ‘Caddies are shamed’
This week, Charley Hull is on the hunt for a major tournament again.
Golf’s cult hero has finished second in the majors so far in her career, with the latest coming at last month’s US Women’s Open. But she has never won any of the five majors available in women’s golf. That could change this week.
At the Amundi Evian Championship, the fourth women’s major of the season, Hull overcame a rough start to shoot an impressive five-under 66 in Thursday’s opening round, leaving her two shots off the lead.
But Hull’s mid-round turnaround may have been caused by a strange incident late in his day: cameras caught someone passing an ice cream cone to Hull on the way.
After his round, Hull answered any questions about the ice cream incident and jokingly even praised his fiery finish.
Charley Hull caught delivering ice cream at Evian: ‘I didn’t eat the ice cream’
It was a hot day on Thursday at the Evian Resort Club, as France continues to suffer through a hot summer. That may begin to explain the incident in Hull’s group on the 15th hole during round 1.
There, video cameras rolled as someone approached Hull with his card, then handed Hull a small ice cream cone, which appeared to be topped with one scoop of vanilla ice cream.
But this wasn’t a new health fad, à la Bryson DeChambeau’s milkshake bulking circa 2020, and it wasn’t Hull’s new strategy to quit smoking (or is it smoking?).
When a TV reporter caught up with Hull on the course to find out what was going on, the three-time winner of the LPGA tour tried to clarify that the ice cream was not his.
“Everybody’s going to think the ice cream is mine. It’s not – it’s Adsy’s,” says a smiling Hull, referring to her co-star Adam Woodward.
“It’s mine. I’m not the runner in this relationship,” Woodward confirmed.
As if to convince non-believers, Hull reiterated his stance in his post-round press conference and provided further details.
“I didn’t eat the ice cream. My boyfriend got my caddy,” Hull explained. “So I held it for a minute while he put my club in the bag.”
Hull hold rally in Evian: ‘I think it was ice cream’
The one who eats it, it’s hard to argue with the results. Whether it was by accident or the undiscovered magic of ice cream, Hull and Woodward’s fortunes took a miraculous turn for the better after the arrival of ice cream.
Hull opened his round with a bogey and was 2-under at sixth. By the time they got to the 15th hole on Thursday, he had fought his way back down. After just four holes, Hull finished with a five less for the day.
His shutout began with a birdie at 15, soon after the ice cream was delivered. He added a second straight birdie at 16, pushing his score to three under. Then, at the age of 18, Hull gained a powerful eagle to enter the fray.
Even he suggested that ice cream had something to do with it after the cycle.
“I struggled, then I finished well. I felt good. I think my ice cream cone was on the 15th hole,” Hull joked. “Shy kids don’t get sweets, shy caddies don’t get ice cream.”
Although Hull denied eating ice cream on Thursday at Evian, he admitted that food was always on his mind, explaining his strict diet during the competition.
“I ate – I eat two holes, so I just ate my bar food every two holes and then I had another special bar that I ate over two holes, and then I had this juice thing that I drank over a few holes and then I had a banana,” Hull explained. “Yeah, I drink a lot of water in every hole and I have a lot of electrolytes. I think the key is food. Like I always eat every other hole. So I eat the third, fifth, and seventh, and then I eat all the holes.”
Even that was not enough to satisfy those who wanted a great winner.
“But I’m starving guys and I have to get physio,” Hull told reporters to end his press conference, “so I’m going to shoot.”
