AIG Women's Open R1: Nervous Charley Hull makes decent start at Royal Lytham & St Annes

England's Charley Hull admitted she struggles to deal with the weight of expectation after ending the first round of the AIG Women's Open five strokes adrift of the lead. 

Hull, aiming to win her first major title, mixed flashes of brilliance with costly mistakes in a first round of 2-under 69 at Royal Lytham & St Annes. 

The 30-year-old's six birdies were offset by four bogeys, leaving her five strokes off early leader Jeeno Thitikul but still comfortably inside the top 10.

"I was so nervous on that first tee," Hull told Sky Sports. "I was shaking. I was like: 'Oh gosh, it's an iron shot'. 

"And usually, when it's a driver, the first tee nerves are a bit easier. 

"With an iron you have to strike. But it was good to get off with a birdie. 

"Piped a good one down No. 2, I was right in between my number on the second shot in, and just didn't commit to my line and just come off it a bit. 

"I missed quite a few putts today as well. But felt like I played pretty decent considering how nervous I was."

Hull added that she feels like she lets people down when she doesn't play well. 

"I find it hard because it's not hard," she said. 

"It's because I've come so close, and it means so much to me, and I feel like I've got so much pressure on me because so many people want me to do well. 

"So, I feel like if I don't play well, I let them down. 

"But my boyfriend just said to me last night, like, imagine you as a nine-year-old girl, you'd be so proud of who you are today, and you're so like lucky and worked hard to be in this position. 

"So just go out there, enjoy it, and at the end of the day, it's just a game, and stop putting pressure on yourself."

Thitikul's flawless 7-under 64 was the lowest round ever recorded in an AIG Women's Open at the Lancarshire venue. 

The Thai golfer, a former world number one, has a two-shot lead over South Korea's Haeran Ryu and Japan's Shiho Kuwaki. 

Ryu, 25, is chasing her third major title this season having triumphed at the Amundi Evian Championship and the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. 

Hull's compatriot, Lottie Woad, is also off to a decent start after matching her score. 

Like Ryu, world number one Nelly Korda is chasing her third major title of 2026 having stepped into the winner's circle at the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women's Open, but the American had a day to forget, carding a 2-over 73. 

Hull started the championship with a bang, draining a lengthy birdie putt at the par-3 1st. 

She immediately dropped a shot and let another slip at the 4th but rebounded with back-to-back birdies from the 6th. 

Another bogey followed at the 8th but a birdie at the 9th saw her hit the turn in 1-under. 

She took advantage of the par-5 11th and, after making three pars in a row, briefly went to 3-under after holing a lengthy birdie putt from off the green at the 15th. 

Hull made par at 17 and was eyeing up a closing birdie before dumping her approach into the greenside bunker. 

Still, she managed to save par. 

Hull has come agonisingly close to winning a major championship on several occasions.

She has finished runner-up on five occasions, including at the AIG Women's Open in 2023 and 12 months ago. 

Hull was also the runner-up to Korda at the U.S. Women's Open at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. 

Woad said: "Yeah, good start. No bogeys, which is always a good round here. 

"Hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens. Didn't make too many putts. 

"But, I mean, good shots round here are kind of 15 to 25 foot, which aren't the easiest. You're not going to hole those.

"So hit some good rolls; just didn't make enough. Definitely take 2-under."