For Charley Hull, it was nothing more than being fan-friendly. For fans, it was a viral moment.
Hull was recorded ahead of the start of the US Women’s Open signing autographs with a cigarette hanging from her lip. It was one of many videos and images of Hull ‘ripping darts’ at Lancaster Country Club this week.
Social media ate up the ‘authenticity’ and on Sunday, after Hull wrapped up her championship, she spoke about the first viral moment.
“I actually walked to the shooting range, had my hands full, someone asked me for an autograph. I’m not going to say no, because I always enjoy signing autographs. I had a cigarette in my mouth, signed it and went viral,” she said.
A year ago, Hull made headlines at the US Women’s Open by nearly winning at Pebble Beach. Her aggressive second shot on the par-5 18e that Sunday was famous for Hull exclaiming to her caddy, “Shy kids don’t get candy.”
Last year she finished in second place and this time she never competed in Lancaster, where she finished in sixth place. But she still stood out.
Hull, who said last year she had been unofficially diagnosed with ADHD, is one of the strongest players in the game. She said she rarely drinks, but smoking is common among family members and that she started smoking to… quit smoking?
“I hate smoking. I used to swear at my dad when I was younger because he smoked, but I guess it’s a bit of a thing to do when I’m stressed. Last year I was a little stressed and I was just vaping, and I wanted to quit vaping, and even though smoking isn’t better than vaping, you can just vape indoors all the time. I thought if I smoke, I’ll go outside and smoke a cigarette. “If it’s a slow round on the golf course, I smoke quite a few more than I should,” she explained.
“But listen, I’ll stop soon. It just depends on when.”
It was “a bit of a wild week” for the 28-year-old Englishwoman. She was even hit by a car during the course.
“Someone said I dropped something and then gave his phone number on a piece of paper in my hand. He was like, Here is my number. Send me a text so we can figure out where to take you out for dinner tonight. Obviously I never texted him, but it was just so funny,” she said.
And although she tries to stay away from social media, Hull said her agent told her her Instagram page had gained more than 70,000 followers in just a few days.
“Just one cigarette, it lit up,” Hull said.
