Charley Hull drops F-bomb after painful U.S. Women's Open near-miss: 'It's frustrating'

Charley Hull admitted she was left frustrated after suffering yet another major championship heartbreak, despite producing a stunning weekend charge that saw her finish just one shot shy of victory at the U.S. Women's Open.

The 30-year-old English star carded superb rounds of 65 and 67 over the weekend at Riviera to climb from over par and into contention, eventually finishing tied second on seven-under par alongside Gaby Lopez, one shot behind champion Nelly Korda.

It marked Hull's fifth runner-up finish in a major championship and extended her wait for a maiden major title.

Having started the weekend with plenty of ground to make up, three-time LPGA winner Hull revealed she adopted an aggressive mindset that helped fuel her charge up the leaderboard.

"Yeah, same as yesterday, today was pretty much f*** it," Hull said after her final round.

"Just go for it. Everything. I had nothing to lose. I could just go at everything and play free golf like I do at home, and it's more fun."

The fearless approach paid dividends as Hull attacked pins throughout the final two rounds, making birdies in bunches and putting genuine pressure on the leaders.

She even started her final round with a stunning eagle on the par-5 first to vault into early contention on Sunday. 

Hull was constantly keeping an eye on the leaderboard during the closing stages and believed reaching double figures under par would have given her a strong chance of lifting the trophy.

"I was watching [other scores] but I was thinking if I get to 10 under, that should be good enough, so I was just trying to chase to get to 10 under," said Hull.

"Obviously I didn't get there, but I hit a great shot into the last hole."

While pleased with her performance, particularly over the closing 36 holes, Hull could not hide her disappointment at falling agonisingly short once again.

"It's just frustrating. Another second place," said Hull.

"I think that's five second-place finishes I've had in majors now. So, yeah, it's pretty annoying.

"I played really well the last day. Obviously missed a couple of putts on the back nine, but it was quite windy and I hit the ball fantastic. Fair play to Nelly Korda for back-to-back major wins."

Despite the disappointment, Hull reiterated her love for golf's biggest events and believes her best performances continue to come on the major stage.

"I pretty much only get up for the majors," Hull admitted.

"When it comes to major week, I just love it. Even if I just make the cut, I know I can make a massive charge at the weekend. I loved it out there. It was so much fun and the crowds were great."

Hull will now turn her attention to the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Hazeltine in two weeks' time, where she will have another opportunity to finally capture the major title that has so narrowly eluded her.

Korda, meanwhile, continued her remarkable season by claiming her fourth career major championship and first U.S. Women's Open title.

The world number one became the first player since Inbee Park in 2013 to win the opening two majors of an LPGA season and now sits just two victories away from completing the career Grand Slam, with the Evian Championship and AIG Women's Open the only majors missing from her collection.

At just 27 years old, Korda is also the youngest American since Mickey Wright in 1960 to reach four major victories. 

The win was her 19th LPGA title and fourth of an outstanding 2026 campaign.

Across eight starts this season, Korda has now finished first or second in seven events, underlining her dominance at the top of the women's game.

An emotional Korda struggled to put the significance of the victory into words after securing the title she had dreamed of winning since childhood.

"I feel like I'm in a dream," said Korda.

"I just can't even explain how much this means to me."