As early as age 10, Charley Hull was drawing comparisons to Tiger Woods. And why wouldn’t she? She was just 9 when she won the Ladies Golf Union Championship, defeating women who were four times her age! And the scale of that win was not small. It was reported that the tournament received around 24,000 entries across the UK. So, Hull being compared to the ‘Big Cat’ was inevitable. But, at 10 years of age, the way she responded mostly stood out.
“I want to be my own person, really, because people say you’re the new Tiger Woods. And I think, yeah, whatever, but I want to be myself.”
God, that defiance. At an age when most kids would’ve clung to the praise, Hull showed a kind of emotional clarity that is still evident today — whether it’s managing her ADHD or speaking openly about her sickness. It’s all still there. Years later, she still gets bothered by the comparisons. But was her rejection of Woods purely out of defiance? Or maybe she just admired someone else more?
Save the speculations. In a video posted on Sky Sports Golf’s official X account, Hull made it clear. “My favorite golfer growing up was Seve Ballesteros.” That said, she’s also openly called Tiger Woods one of her heroes — someone she looked up to while growing up watching mostly men’s golf, as per Esquire.
Now, in retrospect, this does make much more sense. Their gameplay is fundamentally different. Where Woods is fluid and balanced, calculated and often focuses on technical precision, Hull is aggressive and fast-paced. She plays on instincts and brings spontaneity to her game. This was visible when she finished T4 at the HSBC Women’s World Championship and T12 at both the US Women’s Open and KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. At the same time, you can’t draw out many distinctions between Seve Ballesteros and her.
They both have a creative spirit — favoring imagination and instinct over rigid techniques. They both thrive on risks and have a flair for the spectacular. So, maybe we all got it wrong. Comparing Hull to Woods was like comparing apples to oranges — and then missing the apple that is in front of us.
Even when she had to choose her dream pairing — in LPGA’s A Quick Nine With… she picked Carlota Ciganda. Why? “Because she is like Seve Ballesteros”, was her reply. Her admiration for the Spanish probably developed when her father, Dave, showed her Ballesteros’ short games’ DVD when she was a kid. Now, as she competes in the 2025 AIG Women’s Open, the resemblance to her favorite is uncanny. The answer has always been there.
There is another answer that has always hovered around, but could not be pinpointed.
Tiger Woods, Seve Ballesteros, and Donald Trump. That’s Charley Hull’s dream fourball. And it’s not surprising at all. Seve is her favorite player, and then there is Woods.
She has often said she loves Tiger, whom she calls one of her heroes, and is still waiting for him to win another major. Growing up, she watched more men’s golf than women’s, and the reason was obviously Woods.
Now, the choice of Trump shouldn’t be seen as out of the blue. She has made her admiration for him public more than once and has expressed her desire to play golf with him one day. “I love Trump. I think he’s brilliant,” has often been her answer. Just last year, she said she’d rather have him as the UK’s Prime Minister; doesn’t that say everything?
