Andy DevaneyCharley Hull gave the home crowd precisely the sort of Saturday they had come to see at the PIF London Championship, recovering from a poor start to shoot a six-under-par 67 and move into solo second at Centurion Club.
Nine birdies carried the Englishwoman to 16 under, three shots behind 17-year-old Canadian leader Anna Huang, and left Sunday with rather more electricity than a routine final round has any right to expect.
Hull turns an awkward start into a charge
The early signs were not especially encouraging for Hull. She admitted as much afterwards. Yet the five-time Ladies European Tour winner did what aggressive players tend to do when a round begins misbehaving: she attacked it until it changed its mind.
Nine birdies later, Hull had transformed a potentially frustrating afternoon into a 67 and a place in the final-round conversation. At 16 under, she will begin Sunday close enough to apply pressure and far enough back to know that patience cannot become an alibi.
“I didn’t start off too well, but I bounced back and felt like I played pretty solidly,” said Hull. “The home crowds were great. As for tomorrow, I’m just going to go out there, have fun, make some birdies, and see what happens.”
That last sentence is pure Hull: uncomplicated, attacking and not much interested in making golf sound like a strategic planning seminar.
Huang finds the answer on 18
Hull’s problem is that Huang appears equally reluctant to blink.
The Canadian produced a bogey-free eight-under 65 to reach 19 under and retain the lead for a third consecutive day. Better still for Huang, she finished with an eagle at the 18th, the sort of closing statement that can change the temperature of a leaderboard in two swings.
It was an emphatic response to Hull’s pursuit. Instead of allowing the gap to narrow into something uncomfortable overnight, Huang restored her advantage and ensured the PIF London Championship remains hers to lose.
Hull was generous in her assessment of the teenager.
“Anna is a really good player, and I was thoroughly impressed by her game today—she’s got the whole package,” Hull added. “She’s only young and we will definitely see her out on the LPGA Tour soon.”
Centurion crowd gets the Sunday it wanted
A home gallery changes the arithmetic slightly. It cannot hit a shot, although some spectators occasionally appear convinced otherwise, but it can turn a birdie run into momentum that feels larger than the number on the card.
Hull had that backing on Saturday and will have it again for the final round. The contrast with Huang is compelling: the established English star chasing from three behind, the 17-year-old leader trying to complete a wire-to-wire week after holding top spot through the opening three rounds.
There is also $2 million in total prize money at stake, although the immediate contest is simpler. Hull needs to make up three shots. Huang needs to keep doing what has put her at 19 under.
Golf Saudi puts community work alongside competition
Away from the leaderboard, Saturday also featured a programme of clinics and participation sessions. Gary Player led an adult coaching clinic, while Golf Saudi staged a Go Golf short-game session for 10 Saudi participants.
Marianne Skarpnord, an LET professional and Golf Saudi ambassador, took part in an interactive session in the Women’s Golf Lounge, while Moroccan LET player Maha Hiddioui hosted a Women’s G4D clinic.
Those sessions followed community outreach with the Muslim Golf Association, which brought more than 250 women and girls to the course across the first two days. A local London borough councillor attending with the MGA described the experience in distinctly enthusiastic terms:
“What an incredible day at the Women’s Golf Championship… I had the opportunity to be part of an event that combined competition, learning, and pure fun — all in one place.
From getting hands-on practice on the course to watching elite athletes compete for a $2 million prize, the energy throughout the day was unforgettable… A testament to how far women’s golf has come.
Being part of a community that celebrates sport, talent, and inclusion! Huge congratulations to MGA and Golf Saudi for putting together such a world-class event.”
Three shots, one final round
The final round begins on Sunday, 9 August, at Centurion Club. Huang starts with the advantage; Hull starts with the crowd and Saturday’s evidence that a slow opening need not ruin anything.
Three shots is enough to be a gap, not enough to be comfort. If Hull starts making birdies again, Huang may discover that leading a golf tournament in front of a partisan English gallery is a very different occupation from merely appearing at the top of a leaderboard.
