English number one Charley Hull begins her bid for a second professional title when she tees up in the ISPS HANDA Ladies European Masters at Buckinghamshire Golf Club on Thursday.
The world number 47 arrives in good form after a strong run in America and is looking to add to the silverware she won at the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco last year.
“My game feels in good shape,” said the 19-year-old from Kettering, who recently finished tied for 26th in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship after adding 25 yards to her drives earlier this year under her new coach Matt Belsham.
“This is a strong event for the Ladies European Tour and it would be great to perform well here, which would give me great hopes for next week’s US Open. I played quite well a couple of weeks ago in America and I’ve been polishing up my game for the last couple of weeks. It’s feeling good so hopefully I can continue that form.”
Hull has finished inside the top 20 in each of the last three editions of the Ladies’ Masters, with her best finish a tie for ninth place at the Buckinghamshire in 2013.
“It’s great to be back playing in my home tournament. This was one of my first professional events so it brings back great memories and it’s good to be in front of the home crowd with my family coming down,” said Hull, the youngest ever player to win the Ladies European Tour’s order of merit in 2014.
“I also have the US Open next week and I’m flying there on Monday because of this event. I think it’s a great warm up for the US Open, good to be back on home soil, a little relaxing and hopefully a competitive week.”
Hull tees off at 12.34pm in the first round on Thursday and is playing with fellow Solheim Cup winner Caroline Masson and Gwladys Nocera, the current order of merit leader. The recent Turkish Airlines Ladies Open winner Melissa Reid tees off 11 minutes earlier, alongside Dame Laura Davies and Trish Johnson.
The ISPS HANDA Ladies European Masters is an event for the whole family to enjoy. In addition to the world class golf, there is a wide range of activities on offer, from mini golf and free lessons to an artisan market.
Tickets are available on the gate and online at: http://tickets.sky.com/Golf/LEM.
About ISPS HANDA
ISPS is a ‘General Incorporated Association’ based in Tokyo. ISPS was founded by Japanese philanthropist Dr Haruhisa Handa in 2006 to support charitable causes throughout the sporting world. ISPS’s support for golf is founded in its belief in the “power of sport” and it has fostered partnerships with golf governing bodies worldwide to help develop the game at every level and promote blind and disabled golf. ISPS’s heritage in supporting blind and disabled golf and Dr Handa’s interest and philanthropic contribution in golf has formed the foundation of its wider mission for golf to become a Paralympic sport. Outside of golf, ISPS’s support extends to other sports including rowing, football, polo, bowling and the convening of discussion platforms for young leaders in sports.
More information: www.ispsgolf.com
@ISPSGolf
