Charley Hull’s Scottish Open nightmare as four chips lead to quadruple-bogey disaster

Charley Hull endured a nightmare opening round at the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open after a disastrous sequence on Dundonald Links resulted in a quadruple-bogey nine.

The English star’s hopes of making an early impact in Scotland were badly damaged on the par-5 5th, where a promising birdie chance quickly unravelled into one of the most painful moments of her season.

Playing alongside fellow Englishwoman Lottie Woad and World No.1 Nelly Korda, Hull attempted to reach the reachable par-5 in two shots, taking on the 255-yard approach with a hybrid.

However, she failed to catch the shot cleanly and found the rough short of the green.

Hull looked to have recovered after producing a delicate pitch to around 15 feet under the hole, giving herself a realistic birdie opportunity. Instead, the hole turned into a nightmare.

Her birdie putt raced beyond the cup, caught the slope and rolled off the back of the green, leaving Hull with a tricky recovery shot from a difficult position.

“It’s one of those greens where it could go anywhere,” said Sky Sports Golf on-course reporter Sophie Walker as Hull prepared for her next attempt.

Walker was right, and what followed was a brutal short-game struggle (scroll down to watch). 

Hull’s first chip failed to stay on the putting surface, rolling back towards her feet. Her second and third attempts suffered the same fate as the frustration visibly grew.

“This is now turning into a nightmare,” said Sky Sports Golf commentator Richard Kaufman as the broadcast team discussed the difficulty of the hole location.

Eventually, Hull found the green with her fourth chip, leaving herself around 12 feet for a putt that would prevent the score becoming a double-digit number.

To her credit, she calmly converted the putt to record a quadruple-bogey nine and limit the damage as much as possible. 

However, the setback proved costly. Hull made just one birdie during her opening round and signed for a six-over-par 78, leaving her well outside the top 100 in the 144-player field after the first round.

Watch Hull's struggles on the 5th here:

The opening round of 78 marked Hull's joint-worst score of the LPGA season.

Hull, 30, now faces a tough battle to make the weekend, needing a significant turnaround on Friday to keep her Scottish Open hopes alive.

Her playing partners also endured challenging starts, with Woad carding a 74 and Korda finishing with an even-par 72. 

Korea’s Jenny Shin led the clubhouse after the opening morning wave with a 6-under 66.

The difficult opening day came just 24 hours after Hull revealed she had changed her approach to links golf.

The Englishwoman has previously admitted that seaside courses have not always suited her game, but said she was determined to embrace the challenge at Dundonald Links.

“Just kind of got out of my head that links doesn't suit me, and just try and make it suit me,” Hull told reporters on Wednesday.

Unfortunately, Thursday produced the unpredictable side of links golf, with tricky greens and awkward slopes creating problems for one of the biggest names in the field.

Hull will now need to put the disappointment behind her quickly, with the AIG Women’s Open taking place next week at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

The Lancashire links venue is considered one of the toughest tests in golf, with Sky Sports Golf's Dame Laura Davies describing it as one of the most demanding courses on the Open rota.

For Hull, who is still seeking a first major title, the ability to reset mentally will be crucial.

A strong second round at Dundonald Links would not only revive her Scottish Open hopes but could also provide valuable momentum heading into major championship week.