GURNEE, Ill. – Charley Hull got a round of applause when she arrived at the range Saturday morning to get ready to rejoin her English teammates at the UL International Crown after missing Friday’s fourballs due to illness surrounding an asthma attack.
Hull, 20, reported she’s ready to join Mel Reid again in Saturday morning’s fourball match against Thailand.
Hull also said she has struggled more with asthma since being required to undergo Olympic drug testing almost two years ago in preparation for the Games in Rio. Under Olympic protocols, Hull said she had to go off the inhalant she had been on since childhood because of the steroid in it. She switched to another asthma inhalant.
At a sponsor dinner Thursday night at Conway Farms, Hull began feeling sick, with her asthma worsening. Teammates took her home. She woke up Friday morning struggling to breathe, with a fever.
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“I have quite bad asthma, so it really affected me yesterday,” Hull said. “I feel a lot better today. The doctors have done a lot for me. They put a mask on me [with medicinal inhalants], and I could digest the medicine better. I could breathe a lot better. I think allergies really affect me in these northern states.”
Hull said allergens in the air may have triggered her symptoms. She said her blood pressure also dropped Friday, according to the doctor treating her. Her treatments include IVs.
Hull was the star of day one, practically single-handedly beating the American team of Stacy Lewis and Gerina Piller in fourballs. Hull made six birdies and an eagle in the English victory.
How close does she feel to being at full strength?
“I feel so much better today, nearly there,” Hull said. “I still feel a little wheezy, but I have my inhaler that I can take on the golf course. Two days ago, I took my inhaler on the course, but I didn’t feel like it was going to get that bad.”
Without Hull, Reid nearly beat the Japanese duo of Haru Nomura and Mika Miyazato all by herself in the best-ball match on Friday. Reid was beaten when Nomura made birdie at the last. Hull said she was able to watch some of the round.
“Mel was brilliant,” Hull said. “I’m so proud of her. She gave such a great fight.”
