Charley Hull is in contention at the U.S. Women’s Open following a six-under 65 in the third round at Riviera Country Club. An aggressive, carefree approach propelled her up the leaderboard from a tie for 45th, positioning her for a final-round challenge for her first major title.
Hull entered the weekend having barely made the cut after struggling with her putting through the first two rounds. She adopted a more aggressive mindset on Saturday, which produced seven birdies and the best score of the week. “Just couldn’t get a putt, so kind of just stuck in there and just went at everything today and just thought, f—k it,” Hull said of her approach. The Englishwoman admitted to not feeling confident in her game upon arriving in California. She said: “I didn’t at all. I’m glad I’ve had my cousin out here with me because we’ve just been doing things to take my mind off golf.”
Distractions have been a welcome tool for Hull, who often analyzes her mechanics intensely. “I just study everything thinking _I like this feel, I like that feel, why can’t it be like that?_ Sometimes you’ve just got to cancel all that out and just think nothing.” To keep her mind free, she has been exploring the area with her cousin, which led to a humorous moment in Malibu. “She thought it was going to be this amazing place and she had this dream,” Hull explained.
The performance places Hull in a strong position to contend for a title that has so far eluded her. The 2026 season has been inconsistent for Hull, who won in February to achieve a career-high world ranking of third before a difficult stretch of results. A victory would secure her first major championship and cap a remarkable turnaround after starting the third round well off the pace.
