Charley Hull

Charley Hull knows what it feels like to compete for major titles.

Five second placed finishes, including two at the AIG Women’s Open, is evidence of the 30-year-old’s ability to perform on the biggest of stages.

However few players have come quite so close and yet failed to pick up one of the greatest prizes in the game – something Charley is determined to put right as the AIG Women’s Open returns to Royal Lytham & St Annes for its 50th staging.

“I just want to get over the line and win my first major,” she said after arriving on England’s Golf Coast.

“Five second place finishes in majors kind of hurts. I remember looking at the faces [from last year] walking in on the first day and wishing that was me.”

Charley came so close to making her major breakthrough at the 2025 AIG Women’s Open.

On Sunday afternoon she moved to within a shot of the lead, much to the delight of a buoyant Welsh support, before eventually finishing in a tie for second place at Royal Porthcawl.

Fast-forward 12 months and she knows she’ll have to tame a tough links golf challenge – and overcome the world’s best players - if she is to end the week with a special piece of silverware in her hands.

When asked about the test posed by Royal Lytham & St Annes, and its many sand traps, Charley added: “If you're in the bunker it's a penalty area, especially with the tee shots, so you just got to pick out your lines and trust them or play smart and just layup a bit short of them.

“It is a very, very good golf course [and it is] a traditional links, so if it does get windy and bouncy you can then run it in.”

Another player bidding to secure her maiden major this week is Jeeno Thitikul.

Ranked second on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, she won the Smyth Salver for low amateur the last time the Championship was staged at Royal Lytham but is yet to breakthrough in one of the game's biggest events.

Her best result in the AIG Women’s Open since is a T7 finish in 2022, and the Jeeno believes she is finding form at the right time to mount a challenge.

“The last two events I feel like I’m finding my game better than [it was in the] middle of the season. So yeah, it definitely feels better.

“I spent two weeks off in Thailand to charge my energy. I saw my parents after a long stretch of golf, and that made it special too.”

Determined to better her Smyth Salver exploits from eight years ago, Jeeno added: “[I have been] looking forward to coming back here.

“I play here 2018 as my like second time in the AIG Women’s Open as an amateur, and I am really looking forward to beating my amateur score here.”

One player who hasn’t struggled for major success is Haeran Ryu – the Korean winning each of the two most recent flagship events at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and The Amundi Evian Championship.

“I got a lot of confidence from winning the two major championships”, she said.

“But this is another golf course and another [type of] golf, so I just have to keep working hard with my team.”

Haeran will join Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko in one of four marquee groups in rounds one and two – teeing off at 8.42am on Thursday.

Full Thursday and Friday tee times are available here.