Charley Hull weighs in on retirement plans

The LPGA has lost a fair amount of star power in recent months. 

First Lexi Thompson, one of the game’s true superstars, revealed that 2024 was her final year playing a full time schedule in the professional ranks.

Soon afterwards, former US Solheim Cup teammates Ally Ewing and Brittany Lincicome also called time on their playing careers.

Meanwhile, Olympic gold medallist and the LPGA Hall of Famer Lydia Ko still appears set on retiring before the age of 30.

• Charley Hull raises eyebrows with “zero interest” golf claim

• Masters champion claims LIV move is ‘hurting’ Jon Rahm

It is relief, therefore, that another of the LPGA’s box-office stars is going nowhere.

Ahead of this week’s HSBC Women’s Championship in Singapore, Charley Hull was asked by a reporter about a suggestion that she too was contemplating retirement.

“I don’t think that’s about me surely,” she replied. “Lexi is retiring but not me. Definitely not me. I’ll play golf until I’m on my deathbed.”

Hull, 28, is already into her 11th season and is a two-time winner on the LPGA circuit as well as stalwart on the European Solheim Cup side. She is yet to win a major, but currently sits ninth in the world rankings and is enjoying life both on and off the course.

• Charley Hull calls for complete social media ban

• Charley Hull lavishes praise on Donald Trump

“In life, everybody has got a hobby outside of golf and I feel like fitness for me is my hobby,” said the Englishwoman.

“I’ve been in the gym since I was like 15 years old but never really trained how I train now. I never used to enjoy it. I felt like about a year and a half ago, I really wanted to get in my fitness, not just be a golfer, be an athlete. I think it’s really good for me mentally.

“Whenever I train in the gym, I feel like it helps my golf. And I feel like the more fitter I am; the more I recover from jet lag a lot quicker. I just do it for overall health and make the mind feel good and just makes me feel better.”

Hull calls her new love of running an “addiction.”

“So I flew in yesterday, it was a 13-hour plane ride and I slept for 12 and a half hours,” she explained. “I got off the plane and done an 11km run. I went to sleep about 11 o’clock, got up this morning and then did a 10K run… so it was quite a bit!”

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.