Hull and Woad Provide Hope for Home Women's Open Win

Charley Hull began the final major of the year by convincing her caddie Adam Woodward he had won £100,000 on a lottery ticket – only to reveal it was a joke purchase from a Blackpool novelty shop. Woodward was ecstatic, sweating and shaking, until Hull broke the truth. She admitted he nearly quit on the spot.

Hull, who has finished runner-up in five majors, is now focused on securing her first. A win at Royal Lytham would follow British victories by Catriona Matthew (2009) and Georgia Hall (2018). "Frustrating, very frustrating," Hull said of her major career. She recalled key putts at the US Open in June, where she held off a charge from world number one Nelly Korda but fell short. Despite the near-miss, Hull showed grit. Last year at Royal Porthcawl, she finished tied second, two shots behind Miyu Yamashita.

World number seven Hull won the Saudi Ladies International earlier this year but admits her season has been inconsistent. She battles injury and expects a tough mental test despite home support. "You feel like you let everyone down if you don't quite play well," she said. "But it's just life. You're not going to die if you hit a bad shot."

Meanwhile, world number five Lottie Woad is playing her third Women's Open. The 22-year-old British number one posted top-10 finishes in her two previous appearances, including as an amateur. She proved her links credentials by winning the Scottish Open on her professional debut last year. This week's course at Lytham features plenty of bunkers, and Woad feels better prepared after a more genuine links test at the Scottish Open defence.

Woad has two professional wins already, most recently the Kroger Queen City Championship in May. She also lost a play-off to Yamashita at the Meijer LPGA Classic and held the halfway lead at the Evian Championship. She says the key lesson is not to be too hard on herself. Drawing parallels with Georgia Hall, who won this title at age 22, Woad said: "If I could do what she did here, then I'll definitely be happy with that."

Both Hull and Woad offer home galleries genuine hope, and if either lifts the trophy, fans will know they held a ticket of real value.