Team GB’s Charley Hull‘s quest for Olympic gold in golf began on a sour note after she admitted that a pre-tournament ban on smoking might impact her performance.
Wet start
The 28-year-old golfer’s first tee shot in round one at Le Golf National on Wednesday morning landed in the water, marking a challenging start to her efforts to surpass her seventh-place finish at Rio 2016.
Nerves
Charley Hull has gained notoriety for her habit of smoking on the golf course, a practice she claims helps manage her nerves following a recent diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the world No 11 is prohibited from smoking at the Paris Games, a restriction she acknowledged could hinder her pursuit of a medal.
“Yeah, I do smoke on the course, it’s just something I do,” Charley Hull remarked after her practice round on Tuesday. “It’s a habit but I won’t do it this week. I think it will [affect my chances], because it relaxes me a little bit. But it is what it is.”
Slow start for World No.1
Despite the rocky start, Hull is not alone in her struggles. The United States’ Nelly Korda, the favourite for the gold medal, also had a slow beginning to the 72-hole event, finding herself tied at two over par with Hull through her first four holes.
