"I want to enjoy my childhood" – When an 18-year-old Charley Hull denied 'rush' to play in the US

Charley Hull is one of the most celebrated players on the LPGA Tour. The UK native has played on the US Tour for more than a decade after joining it in 2015. However, the 18-year-old Hull was never in a "rush" to play in the US.

Hull turned professional in January 2013. In her first year on the LET Tour, she finished sixth on the Order of Merit and was named the 2013 LET Rookie of the Year. She made a strong debut in the 2013 Solheim Cup with two points in her three matches, helping Europe thrash the US 18-10.

The 18-year-old had a strong start in the 2014 season with a runner-up finish at the Sanya Open in China. In an interview, she said that she had no urgency to play full-time in the U.S. on the LPGA Tour (via Guardian):

"I am only 18 so there is no rush to go and play in the States. I still want to enjoy my childhood, I still have lots of other things in my life that I want to enjoy and I think I should be enjoying at my age. It’s something I would be in more of a rush to have tied down if I was 22 or 23."

"If I do get that tour card, I will still pick and choose when I will play in America. I want to play there but I still wouldn’t spend loads of time over there just yet," she added.

By then, Charley Hull had advanced to the final stage of the LPGA Tour qualifying school. However, she said that she was not a "fan of qualifying school" as a single bad or good week could determine a player's fate, which she found less than ideal.

Eventually, she secured the LPGA Tour card for the 2015 season through the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament. She tied for 28th at the tournament which granted her Category 17 membership status.

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A look at Charley Hull's record on the LPGA Tour

Charley Hull joined the LPGA Tour in 2015. Since then, she has had two wins, 38 top-10 finishes and 105 top-25 finishes. Hull's two victories came at the 2016 CME Group Tour Championship and the 2022 Volunteers of America Classic.

She won the 2016 CME Group Tour Championship by two strokes over South Korean player Ryu So-yeon and the 2022 Volunteers of America Classic by one stroke over China's Lin Xiyu. She has total official earnings of $9 million from the LPGA Tour.

Let's take a look at Charley Hull's best performances on the LPGA Tour:

• 2016 CME Group Tour Championship: 1
• 2023 AIG Women's Open: 2
• 2023 U.S. Women's Open: T2
• 2016 ANA Inspiration: T2
• 2022 The Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America: 1
• 2019 CME Group Tour Championship: 2
• 2018 LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship: 2
• 2024 The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican: T2
• 2022 The Amundi Evian Championship: T3
• 2023 Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G: 2