A Rapid Turn of Events on the Green

During Thursday's opening round at the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open, Charley Hull faced a dramatic shift in momentum. Positioned just 20 feet from the hole for a birdie opportunity on the par-5 fifth at Dundonald Links, Hull ended up walking away with a nine—a quadruple-bogey—after a series of unfortunate events on the green.

The Complexity of the Dundonald Links

The severity of the green was highlighted during the broadcast, as one commentator noted:

«I don’t think there’s a flat spot on it. This is way outside the left for Charley… It’s one of those greens where it really could go anywhere.»
Unfortunately for Hull, the ball did exactly that, rolling entirely off the putting surface.

Struggles on the False Front

After her initial birdie attempt took a sharp turn to the right and sped past the hole, the ball descended the false front and settled into the rough. Nearby, Nelly Korda faced a similar challenge after overshooting the green. While Korda managed to navigate the situation, securing a bogey after a precise chip and two-putt, Hull struggled significantly.

Battling for Recovery

Hull’s first attempt to chip back up failed to clear the false front, sending the ball rolling right back to her original position. Subsequent attempts were equally frustrating:

  • She struck her sixth shot heavily.
  • She repeated the error with her seventh stroke.
As the situation unfolded, observers remarked that the hole was effectively becoming a nightmare. Hull finally succeeded with her eighth shot, executing a successful chip that allowed her to sink a 12-foot putt and salvage a quadruple-bogey rather than a quintuple-bogey. She concluded her opening round with a 6-over 78.