Slow Play: Charley Hull Wants Players Suspended

This article is based on an interview that Adam Schupak conducted with Charley Hull for Golfweek. The quotes were translated from English into German.

Charley Hull has made a clear demand: Anyone who repeatedly plays too slowly on the LPGA Tour should be suspended. The proposal comes at an opportune time. At the Buick LPGA Shanghai, which ended on October 18, Carlota Ciganda and Yealimi Noh each received two penalty strokes for slow play.

Suspensions Instead of Penalty Strokes

When asked how the pace-of-play problem on the Tour could be solved, Hull initially replied, “Oh my God, I don’t know.” Then she made her position clear: “I think you should be suspended from the Tour for a year—or three months to start with—because I want to play golf, and I’m sure the slow players want that too. If the penalty is strict enough, you won’t play any slower. Then people would make sure to play much faster than we do now.”

Her logic is simple: If you face serious consequences, you’ll delay your shots less. A one-year suspension, however, would be a drastic measure with far-reaching consequences for income and career. So far, the LPGA has relied on fines and penalty strokes. Under the current rule, players have 40 seconds for each shot.

If she were LPGA commissioner for a day, Hull has another model in mind. “If it were up to me, we’d have a field of 100 players each week, which would be whittled down to 50 to 55, and groups of two would always play on the weekend.”

In Top Form, Highly Ambitious

Ranked No. 8 in the world, Hull is among the world’s best. Her victory at the PIF Saudi Ladies International earlier this year and her second-place finish at the U.S. Women’s Open show that she can compete at the top level. In September, she was also part of the European team that won the Solheim Cup.

On the course, Hull is considered extremely ambitious. She says, “I think sometimes I’m too obsessed with golf, really.” And she adds, “I’m a workaholic.” Her biggest opponent, then, isn’t the course, but herself: “I wish I could say ‘no’ to myself more often.”

Michael Brennan: “A future world No. 1”

Hull is particularly impressed by Michael Brennan. At the 2025 Grant Thornton Invitational, a mixed-gender tournament, she teamed up with the American and tied for second place with him. The 24-year-old has since racked up three PGA Tour wins and is ranked 19th in the world.

Hull praises him highly: “If I could play with anyone on the PGA Tour, it would be Michael, because he’s one of the most impressive golfers I’ve ever seen, and he’s going to win a major.” She goes even further: “I definitely see him as the future world No. 1.” He also won her over on a personal level when her niece was there: “He’s such a nice guy.”

The two won’t be competing together in December. Hull is a bridesmaid at the wedding of Georgia Hall, who is also a professional golfer on the LPGA Tour, and will therefore miss the Grant Thornton Invitational. Hull jokingly told Golfweek that she’s “pretty mad” at her friend about the date.

Quitting Smoking

Off the golf course, Hull speaks openly about smoking. She says her father used to smoke 40 cigarettes a day. She herself has quit and says, “I’m pretty strong-willed when it comes to things like this, and I find it pretty easy.” However, she hasn’t given up nicotine entirely: she now uses nicotine pouches.