World No. 19 battles mystery virus at Evian Championship – the scary scene that has golf fans holding their breath

Sometimes golf throws you curveballs that have nothing to do with your swing plane or putting stroke. For Charley Hull, the Amundi Evian Championship turned into a nightmare that no amount of mental game preparation could have prevented.

The 29-year-old English star was grinding through her round when something clearly wasn’t right. By the third hole, Hull was sitting down by a bunker, looking like she’d rather be anywhere else on the planet. This wasn’t your typical “bad round” body language – this was genuine distress.

When Toughness Meets Reality

Here’s where it gets scary. Hull collapsed on the fourth tee. Not stumbled, not felt dizzy – collapsed. After a 15-minute medical timeout that probably felt like an eternity for everyone watching, she somehow found the strength to hit her tee shot.

Then it happened again. Hull went down a second time, and this time there was no getting back up. The medical cart rolled onto the scene, and just like that, one of the world’s top players was being carted off the course.

The Hidden Battle

Golf Channel’s Richard Kaufman later revealed what Hull had been fighting – a virus that had been building up and finally caught up with her. It’s a reminder that these elite athletes are human beings dealing with the same stuff we all face, except they’re doing it while trying to compete at the highest level.

“Obviously a very unnerving situation for Charley and her playing partners,” Kaufman said, capturing what everyone was thinking.

The Bigger Picture

Hull had been on a solid run lately, posting T-12 finishes in her last two major championships and a fourth-place showing at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open just last week. The world No. 19 was clearly feeling good about her game coming into Evian, where she notched a share of third back in 2022.

But sometimes the game – and life – has other plans. Hull’s withdrawal serves as a stark reminder that even the toughest competitors know when to wave the white flag, and there’s no shame in that whatsoever.