Golfer Charley Hull has defended her decision to prank her caddie, Adam Woodward, with a fake $100,000 lottery ticket, telling critics to "loosen up." The incident, which occurred before the AIG Women's British Open at Royal Lytham and St. Annes, drew criticism on social media.
Hull stated she was unaware of the backlash until being questioned by reporters. "100 percent," she affirmed when asked if she would perform the prank again. She described Woodward as finding the joke amusing and not being "uptight."
"If people don’t like it, they can lump it," Hull said, according to The Guardian. She added that while she felt bad for her caddie, her priority is to have a good week. Hull plans to buy Woodward 100 scratch cards as a gesture and expressed hope that he would earn more than the fictional lottery prize through his performance.
During the first day of the Open, Hull finished with a score of 2-under par, placing her in a tie for eighth place. She is currently five strokes behind the leader, Atthaya “Jeeno” Thitikul.
Hull mentioned she does not keep social media on her phone during tournaments, deleting the apps to maintain focus on the present moment. "I don't really like people seeing me and tagging me and stuff. I like to keep in the present moment," she explained. "But I think people need to lighten up if they’re taking that too seriously because it was pretty funny."