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England's Hull eyes LPGA title defence in Texas / Photo: © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
England's Hull eyes LPGA title defence in Texas
Charley Hull defends her Ascendant LPGA title this week, hoping a return to Texas sees her break through for a first victory of 2023 after five runner-up finishes worldwide.
England's Hull said her victory at The Colony near Dallas last year was the springboard to a solid 2023 season that is so far missing just one thing -- a victory.
"Felt like it gave me good momentum," she said. "I played some really good golf. I think I've had five second-place finishes this year, one on the LET and the rest on the LPGA Tour.
"Obviously two in the majors," added Hull, who was runner-up at the British and US Opens. "It's been a great year."
It has also included a Solheim Cup triumph, although Hull said she didn't play as big a role as she might have liked in Europe's come from behind victory over the United States in Spain because of a neck sprain.
"I found it quite a hard week because I just didn't feel like I could play the way I wanted to because of my neck," she said.
"If that was a normal event I wouldn't have played because I would've had to pull out. Had to almost change my swing to swing that week, so then I didn't hit it very well."
Hull said sitting out matches was hard for her, as was foregoing practice. But she hopes the rest, including a week off last week, will have her in top condition to build on her latest LPGA runner-up finish in Cincinnati last month, when she lost to Australian Minjee Lee in a playoff.
The tournament is the penultimate full-field event of the season. For many it will be a last chance to make the 60-player field for the season-ending Tour Championship and for others a battle to retain their LPGA membership.
Japan's Yuna Nishimura was 81st in the Race to the CME Globe standings before a tie for third in Arkansas on Sunday boosted her to 61st. She'll be aiming to climb into the Tour Championship field this week.
Eight 2023 LPGA Tour winners are in the field this week, including Texas residents Celine Boutier of France and Cheyenne Knight, who won the title in 2019 when the tournament was played at nearby Las Colinas.
Boutier, who captured her first major title at the Evian Championship in July, is chasing a fourth title of the season. At fifth in the world she's the highest-ranked player in the field ahead of No. 7 Kim Hyo-joo of South Korean and eighth-ranked Hull.
M.A. Pereira--JDB
