Charley Hull has withdrawn from the Evian Championship mid-round after collapsing due to illness.
The top-ranked British golfer completed 12 holes of the year’s fourth major and was one-under par before she was stretchered off the course.
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Charley Hull had been struggling with a virusCredit: Getty
Hull, who started on the 10th hole, is said to have been suffering from a virus during her opening round at the Evian Golf Resort.
The 29-year-old collapsed at the fourth tee, reports Golf Channel, having sat in a fairway bunker on the third hole moments before.
Hull seemingly recovered after a 15-minute medical time-out, with the group behind her allowed to play through.
After briefly losing consciousness, she had ice applied to her face while lying flat out and felt fit enough to attempt to continue.
But she fell to the ground again as she took her tee shot and then exited the course via the back of a golf buggy on a stretcher.
As per the Times, Hull was sitting up and talking as she was taken on the medical cart — expressing her frustration at having to pull out.
Hull, who was also struggling with her eyesight, said: “I was playing pretty well, but I feel faint.”
The world No. 19’s withdrawal left her playing partners completing their opening round as a two-ball.
World No. 4 Ruoning Yin carded a one-over 72, while Haeran Ryu struggled to an eight-over 79.
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Hull is ranked 19th in the worldCredit: Getty
Swedish US Open champion, Maja Stark, and Chiara Tamburlini were among the other players who also suffered from a virus in recent days.
Elsewhere, two-time winner on the LPGA Tour, Leona Maguire, is among the early leaders in France, with the Irish star at -6.
Hull’s English compatriot Lottie Woad has also made a solid start, with the amateur at -3 after winning the Irish Open last weekend.
Hull, meanwhile, has featured regularly in the top five at majors, but her latest quest for a first major title came to a brutal end.
Her withdrawal means her best finish at the Evian Championship remains a tie for third three years ago.
The Women’s British Open runner-up claimed her first victory since 2022 when she won the Aramco Team Series event in November.
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Hull is one of the biggest characters in women’s golfCredit: Getty
Hull’s best result in a major this year is a tie for 12th at the US Women’s Open and Women’s PGA Championship.
She will now have a fortnight to recover from illness before the Scottish Open.
Hull will look to be back on top form at the AIG Women’s Open, the final major of 2025, at Royal Porthcawl in Wales the following week.