Hull & Woad provide hope for home Women’s Open win
Charley Hull and Lottie Woad are among the favourites for this week's AIG Women's Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes, offering hope of another home victory in a tournament that has previously crowned British champions there. Hull, the world number seven, has yet to win a major despite five runner-up finishes, and admits her career in these events has been "frustrating", while acknowledging the added pressure of home expectations.
Royal Lytham has a history of producing UK winners, with Scotland's Catriona Matthew triumphing in 2009 and England's Georgia Hall following in 2018. Hull's best major result came at the US Open in June, where she narrowly lost out to world number one Nelly Korda, and last year she finished runner-up at Royal Porthcawl, two shots behind Miyu Yamashita. World number five Woad is also considered a leading contender as the season's final major gets under way.
- Charley Hull and Lottie Woad are Women's Open favourites at Royal Lytham
- Hull has five major runner-up finishes but no title yet
- Lytham has history of home winners: Matthew (2009), Hall (2018)
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The AIG Women's Open is professional golf's final major championship of the year, one of the sport's four most prestigious tournaments. This week it is being held at Royal Lytham & St Annes on the north-west coast of England.
Charley Hull is Britain's world number seven golfer but has never won a major championship, finishing as runner-up five times and finding her lack of a major title frustrating. Lottie Woad, ranked world number five, is another of Britain's strongest golfers. Both are competing this week in the hope of breaking through at the highest level.
Royal Lytham & St Annes has produced British winners of this championship before, with Catriona Matthew of Scotland winning in 2009 and Georgia Hall of England in 2018. This history suggests the course suits British players and offers hope of a home victory in a major championship.