What I Learned From Charley Hull's AIG Women's Open Mindset... And How It's Going To Change My Game

Charley Hull might not have won the AIG Women’s Open, but alongside the winner, Miyu Yamashita, she delivered one of the most inspiring performances of the week.

Heading into Saturday’s round, Hull was 11 shots behind Yamashita. By the end of the day, she’d charged up the leaderboard to sit just 3 shots back going into Sunday. That kind of leap takes serious golf but what inspired me the most wasn’t just her game, it was her mindset.

In her post-round interview, Hull shared that she never once looked at the leaderboard. She focused entirely on one shot at a time, enjoying every moment rather than rushing through the bad ones. Even after a bogey, she stayed positive because she was happy with the shots and putts she’d hit, even if the result didn’t go her way.

It reminded me that the biggest breakthroughs don’t only come from how we swing but how we think and respond when we’re on the course too.

Here are 4 things I’m going to be taking into my game after watching Charley Hull.

One Shot At A Time

When I’ve focused on one shot at a time, I’ve shot some of my best scores but it’s easy to fall out of this habit and start to dwell on that wonky shot or think ahead to the final score.

That’s why it was inspiring to hear Hull talk about enjoying every shot, focusing fully on the shot at hand, not dwelling on the one that had been or forcing the outcome of the one to come.

Hull was locked in on her process, knowing that if she picked the right club and the right target, the rest would take care of itself. It never looked like it was about forcing a shot or a score but instead, creating chances, one shot at a time.

Take The Positive, No Matter The Outcome

When Hull was asked about the closing bogeys in her post-round interview, she didn’t dwell, she drew out the positive. She focused on the fact that she hit good shots and hit good putts, they just didn’t have the outcome she might have hoped for.

That perspective was refreshing to hear. How often do we finish a round and fixate on the shots or holes that went wrong, rather than the ones that went right?

And don’t get me wrong, I’m a big believer in identifying the leaky parts of our game, so that we can focus our practice there to improve. But it’s not about dwelling on that data, it’s about using it as the fuel for what’s next.

A phrase from Hull's post-round interview captures this perfectly. She talked about building from here. Not taking time to pick apart her performance or think about what might have been after another second place finish in a major. Building from here. Taking the positives and moving forward.

Enjoyment Over Expectation

As your handicap comes down, the expectation goes up. There’s a pressure, even if it’s self-imposed, to perform to it.

And as someone who cut my handicap quickly, going from 34 to 9 in a year, I’ve fallen into this trap. Piling on the pressure to shoot low scores, to not make mistakes, to never 3 putt again…I wish.

That’s why, Hull's perspective of having fun and enjoying the hunt really resonated with me. What if we focused on enjoyment over expectation when it comes to our golf? On adrenaline over anxiety when it comes to competition? On stepping into the situations that make us nervous rather than shying away from them?

That’s what I’m going to do more of – enjoy the challenge and let go of expectation.

Trust Your Game Under Pressure

This was something that stood out to me from both Charley Hull and Miyu Yamashita, whether it was Hull on the chase or Yamashita staying composed, they both trusted their game.

Of course, as world-class players, I’m not sure there’s many shots that would throw them off, whether that’s a must-make par putt or a tricky shot from a pot bunker. And the skill on show was inspiring, but what I found more so was how they played their game. You didn’t see Hull playing it safe or Yamashita trying to force birdies to lengthen her lead.

That’s where trusting our game, especially under pressure is critical. Maybe it’s not driver off the tee, if you know you can reach those fairway bunkers. Or maybe it’s playing away from the pin out of that tricky, short-sided bunker because you would rather make a bogey at worst than anything bigger.

Trust your game under pressure, playing to your strengths and working on your leaks in your practice.

Follow Jess on Instagram, where she shares how she’s working on her game. And if you want to start identifying the leaks in your game, get Jess’ Shots Lost Scorecard – a simple tool that helps you track where you’ve lost shots, so you can bring a sense of focus to your practice.