BLACK DESERT CHAMPIONSHIP

April 30, 2025

Charley Hull

Black Desert Resort

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, welcome the media center at the Black Desert Championship presented by Greater Zion.

We are joined in the room by Charley Hull. Just an awesome venue here at this week. Can you speak to you experience here thus far? I believe you're an ambassador this week, too, as well.

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, it's really cool. It was pretty cool how they've like done the charter plane for us last week. That's really, really helpful. Obviously it's like a remote location as well. Cool that we got to fly into a local airport straight from last week and didn't have to go through security or anything.

Landing here and have a look, literally the views are unbelievable. It's just a good, cool place to come, you know, just even with your friends for golfing trip, let alone to have an LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR event here.

We did a hike the other day as well. It was pretty cool. In the mountains a the back. Yeah, it was so much fun.

Q. Can you just talk about your experience on that charter flight? It's a great thing that was offered to you this past week.

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, it was really good. Obviously like as I said it just makes it so much easier. It was really, really kind of them to do that.

Q. And I've heard too the accommodations here this week at the hotel, gym is awesome, food is awesome. Just what can you speak on that too?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, obviously when you're on Tour it's hard to get really, really good gym, but this gym is phenomenal. It's great. I've been having some good workouts in there. It's just perfect. You can just roll out of bed, go to the gym, and have a shower and be straight on the golf course.

Q. You just finished up the pro-am. How are you feeling about this golf course? What do you think it's going to take this week to be successful out here?

CHARLEY HULL: Have to be very accurate obviously because of the lava around it, but I think you got to putt well as well. I think the scores could be quite low if the wind stays down. It was really windy here the first evening, Monday evening. I was meant to go out and play but it was just so windy so I didn't bother.

Today wasn't too much wind. Yeah, it's a good golf course and a good challenge on some of the holes. You just got to really trust your lines.

Q. I've heard a lot of blind tee shots out there. Being such an aggressive player, how are you adjusting to having to hit some hybrids, irons off the tee boxes?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, I think literally out there I've only hit four drivers. That's all it's been, so feels quite weird. I went from I think it was until the seventh hole yesterday without hitting a driver. It's like oh, it's been quite a while since I hit my driver. You just got to trust your lines.

Q. Coming off a week like last week where it is so wet, you have to take advantage of your length, do you switch your mentality when you're coming to a place where you have to be more strategic?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, kind of. I'm good with my long irons, but there is not really that many long irons in, so just a lot of 3-wood -- well, not really 3-woods, just more hybrids and 4-irons off the tee. You just got to trust your caddie. I always like to get my driver out. It's my favorite club in my bag usually.

But, yeah, just got to trust your caddie.

Q. Had a few good results so far this season at some challenging places in terms of strategy. Do you think it really helps you when you have to think more on the golf course? Are you more of a see it, feel it, hit it player?

CHARLEY HULL: I'm just see it, feel it, hit it player. I don't use a yardage book. Never have done; never will. Did my first year on Tour, but, yeah, just see the green grass down there and just whack it at it.

Q. I'm here with FireFly Automatix. We're providing the robotic mowing for all the fairways at Black Desert. I know you were at Chevron. We mowed holes 9 and 18 down there. What were the conditions like out there on the fairways?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, it was pretty cool. I can't fault the fairways out here, and last week was really good at well. That's pretty cool that you've got electronic mowers. I suppose the greens staff are pretty happy about that because they have some much work to do.

I actually have them in my garden as well. I can't remember what brand they are. Husqvarna? Yeah, that what I have my I my garden. Helps me out a lot.

Q. And you mentioned electronic. They are also all electric, which means they're super quiet. What are your thoughts on golf courses using electric mowers from an environmental standpoint?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, it's good. I'm kind of one these players at the same time, like so many things these days are done by electronic things. It's like I hope people don't run out of jobs, do you know what you mean?

But, yeah, it's pretty cool.

Q. So those people that are still having their jobs making look better, right?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah.

Q. At their request, we are cutting diamond patterns for you ladies.

CHARLEY HULL: Oh, wow.

Q. From an aesthetic point of view, what do you think did how it's looking?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, looks pretty good. I think it all depends like strategically. Like some fairways with cut half and half, so you have the down grain and into the grain and then makes the player think even more, I've got to get down the left so I can get extra 20 yards of run out of it rather than hitting on the right, so the fairway that's into the grain.

But when it's diamond I think it's more fair. You're not going to get that drastic distance on what bit you pitch on.

But it looks pretty cool.

Q. Speaking of Utah, have you ever been here before today?

CHARLEY HULL: Well, I got here Sunday. My first time in Utah. I think those closest I've ever been to here is Vegas, but that's in that Nevada. Yeah, this is beautiful.

Q. What's your impression getting off the plane, getting here, the scenery?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, it's unbelievable. I'm obviously from England and I love green grass and trees. It's a bit of shock to the system seeing the red rock, but it's pretty unbelievable to look at every morning when you look out at it and you just keep on staring at it.

We went on a hike the other day, on Monday, and that was unbelievable.

Q. (Sound cutting in and out.) I've spent time myself over there. Just a different color I guess. How strange it?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, it's proper strange. It is definitely strange. Obviously used to looking at green grass, and out here you've not just got to like normal color mountains. You've got the red rock, the black as well around the golf course.

It's pretty mind blowing when you look at it. It's definitely a really, really cool place to come.

Q. And just as far as the course itself.

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah.

Q. First run through, are there pros, cons? What are your impressions?

CHARLEY HULL: I really like it. We played a few holes today and looked back at where the men would've been playing from and it was like 100 yards back and we were like, wow, that would've been months to hole, especially having to hit driver.

And it's quite tight, the fairways. Obviously like the fairways aren't super tight, but then off the fairways it's just is the rock so you've got really no bail-out areas, do you know what I mean?

So we are quite fortunate. I'm hitting a lot of like rescue woods and 4 irons ans stuff, but when the men must have played it, if the wind was up that probably would've been tricky.

Yeah, it's really, really cool golf course to come play. I would love to come back here and try it off the back tees. That would be a really, really fun golf course.

Q. There is a 19 year old doing her prosecute debut here. Ali Mulhall.

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah. I think -- yeah, we had dinner with her, yeah.

Q. Give me your impressions her.

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, she seemed really, really nice. She's really sweet. Quite quiet around the dinner table, but was just trying to like -- just so nice. Is she originally from Vegas did you say and then she moved here now?

Yeah, pretty cool hearing her story and that. Hopefully she gets a Tour card and be out here next year. That will be pretty fun.

Q. You've been doing this since 2013. What are your memories of starting out and what advice would you give Ali?

CHARLEY HULL: I think like when I were younger I didn't really think much, and then when you get into like -- when I got a bit more into my -- few years on Tour you start thinking, so I've gone back to the mindset of not really thinking and it actually works a lot better for me.

Like don't put too much pressure on yourself. Obviously you want to win every week; you wouldn't be out here if you didn't think you could win, do you know what I mean? Don't want to be a journeyman. Don't put too much pressure or yourself.

It's better than, no offense, guys, sitting behind -- like in an office job. You're outside in the countryside all the time playing a game that you love and the money. Like what better life can you live?

Q. How important -- I mean, it seems like someone who has played golf, they've played since four; I don't know how long you played. But how important is the fun aspect over getting too serious?

CHARLEY HULL: Obviously not going to -- it's not always going to be fun out there. You got to see it as a challenge. My mindset, I work better when I see it as a challenge, like anything in life. I want to do good at it. You just got to embrace the good and bad days, because it's a rollercoaster ride. Just go out there and keep digging.

A bit like McIlroy at the Masters. Never give up on your dream; he surely didn't, did he?

Q. Tell us a little bit about your experience hiking through Snow Canyon.

CHARLEY HULL: I'm very much an outdoorsy kind of person. I'm not really a city girl never have been; never will be. I just love being outdoors, and this is fantastic. Like learn about how the different rocks, and then like obviously just everything here is just pretty cool.

I think there was some old sand dunes, what was it called? Petrified sand dunes. It was pretty cool. Like we was walking on them and I just love being out there. I'm definitely a hiking kind of person.

Q. Other than winning of course, what would make this week successful for you?

CHARLEY HULL: Just going out there and getting the ball in the hole in the least amount the shots. I feel like my game has been pretty good this season. Actually played quite well last week at the Chevron but I just couldn't get my driver going off the tee. Fixed that and actually played really well apart from that.

I feel confident coming into this week, and just looking forward to go out there and having some fun. I feel like I really like the greens here. They're rolling really, really nice. I said that to my caddie. I like the grass. I think is it bent grass here? I think it's pretty pure. Can't fault the golf course. Like the bunkers as well.

Q. Your friend's here this week. How much do you enjoy having her out here on the road with you?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, it's brilliant. She's definitely the entertainment the last two weeks. Like even if I'm not around, hear people laughing, hear the laugh of Agnieszka. She's a great girl. It's weird. She comes from a golfing family but she don't really know too much about golf, but she's got an placing golf swing so she should have taken it up earlier on in life.