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There is a particular cruelty to near-misses in major championships. You do not simply lose a golf tournament; you lose the version of yourself that nearly won one. Charley Hull knows that feeling rather well by now, and after the US Women’s Open at Ione, California, she knows it a little more intimately still.
Nelly Korda, the world number one, claimed a dramatic victory over the weekend, edging out Hull in what Sky Sports described as a thriller — a word that feels entirely appropriate and yet somehow insufficient for what Hull must be processing right now.
What Actually Happened
Hull had mounted a historic weekend comeback, clawing her way back into contention across Saturday and Sunday in a manner that had the galleries and the television audience genuinely believing this might finally be her moment. It was not. Korda, as world number ones tend to do when the pressure is at its most concentrated, held firm and pipped the Englishwoman to the title.
Hull’s reaction afterwards was admirably straightforward. “Pretty annoying,” she told reporters, according to Sky Sports, adding that the near-miss was “frustrating.” That is the kind of understatement that takes genuine emotional discipline to produce when you have just finished second in a major championship. Most of us would require considerably more colourful vocabulary.
The Hole-in-One That Almost Was
If the final leaderboard was not quite the story Hull wanted, one moment during the weekend came agonisingly close to writing itself into golf folklore. Hull struck a tee shot that came within inches of a hole-in-one, the ball tracking the pin with the kind of trajectory that makes commentators reach for superlatives before it ultimately, cruelly, stayed out.
It is the sort of moment that encapsulates an entire tournament. Hull was not playing badly. She was not even playing ordinarily. She was playing the kind of golf that produces near-aces at major championships, and she still could not quite get over the line. That tells you something about the quality of Korda’s performance rather than any deficiency in Hull’s.
Korda’s Claim to Greatness
It is worth pausing to give Korda her due, because the narrative around Hull’s near-miss risks obscuring what was a genuinely impressive performance from the American. Winning a major when someone is breathing down your neck across a final round is not a straightforward exercise. Korda did it with the composure you would expect from a player who has spent a sustained period at the top of the world rankings.
The world number one billing is not merely administrative in Korda’s case — it reflects a player who has developed the ability to win tournaments that matter, in conditions that matter, against fields that are trying very hard to stop her. Hull gave her everything she had. Korda still won. That is worth acknowledging plainly.
Hull’s Major Drought: Context and Perspective
Hull’s wait for a maiden major now extends further, and the question of whether she will eventually claim one is becoming one of the more genuinely interesting storylines in women’s golf. She has the talent — that much is beyond dispute. She has the temperament for big occasions, as this weekend demonstrated. What she has not yet managed is the combination of personal peak performance and a rival who blinks at the crucial moment.
Korda did not blink. Hull, for her part, did not play poorly. That is the maddening arithmetic of major championship golf, and it is something Hull will need to file away and return to rather than dwell upon. The historic comeback she mounted across the weekend suggests her game is in good enough shape that opportunities will continue to present themselves.
Is this Hull’s best chance at a major so far?
Arguably, yes. A historic weekend comeback that took her to the final pairing on Sunday at a US Women’s Open represents about as clear a pathway to a first major as Hull has had. Whether a better opportunity will arise is impossible to say, but the performance level was clearly there.
What does this result mean for Korda’s season?
A US Women’s Open title is a significant addition to any CV. For Korda, it reinforces her status as the dominant force in women’s golf at present and will do nothing to dislodge her from the top of the world rankings.
How did Hull’s comeback compare historically?
Sky Sports characterised it as historic, which suggests the deficit she overcame across the weekend was substantial by the standards of the tournament. The precise numbers matter less than the broader point: she gave herself a genuine chance when many had written her off.
Will Hull be a contender at future majors?
On the evidence of California, absolutely. A player who can mount that kind of comeback at a US Women’s Open is not someone whose major chances are behind her. The more pertinent question is whether she can find a way to win when Korda — or someone of similar quality — is also playing their best golf.
Where does this leave women’s golf heading into the second half of the season?
With Korda firmly established as the benchmark and Hull confirmed as the most compelling challenger from a British perspective, the remaining majors of the season have a clear narrative thread. Whether that thread leads to a different conclusion is the interesting part.
A Brief Note on Kane Evans
Elsewhere this weekend, in a story that sits some distance from fairways and leaderboards but deserves acknowledgement, former Hull FC prop Kane Evans came out as gay in an emotional interview, describing a 20-year internal battle with his sexuality. It is not a football story, strictly speaking, and it is not a golf story at all — but it is a sports story, and a significant one. Evans played in the top tiers of rugby league for years, and his willingness to speak publicly about his experience will matter to people in sport who are navigating similar questions privately. That is worth more than a footnote.
For those wanting to follow the remaining women’s golf majors and other sporting events this summer, you can find information on coverage options at FootyGazette’s watch guide. Further reading on the summer’s major sporting storylines is available in our summer 2026 storylines feature, and for those tracking the broader sporting calendar, our guide to watching sport online in 2026 covers the practical side of things.
Korda has her major. Hull has another runner-up finish and, presumably, a very long drive home to think about it. The season continues.
