Consider professional golfer Charley Hull, currently ranked 4th in the world. To make matters worse, that was alongside the Evian Championship men’s tee on Thursday. The 29-year-old athlete experienced illness and collapsed on the tee box before her shot, prompting her to withdraw from the tournament.
Hull was competing with teammates Ruoning Yin and Haeran Ryu when she abruptly collapsed to the ground. But fortunately, officials were quick to step in, letting the trailing party play through as they attended to Hull. Further, medical staff treated her for almost 15 minutes before deciding that she would not be able to continue. At the moment of her collapse, Hull was sitting on even par. Her medal-winning performance gave a glimpse of her competitiveness, despite fighting off a viral infection in the days leading up to competition.
And yet, for all of Hull’s undeniable talent on the golf course, she still hasn’t notched that elusive first major championship win, either. A few months later, in her first full-time season on tour, she finished T-12 in the Women’s PGA Championship. She accomplished the same in 2025 at the U.S. Women’s Open. Hull is an accomplished, two-time LPGA Tour winner and major champion in her own right. The fourth continues to elude her as she chases that major title.
In addition to coming back from being 19th in the world, Hull is now up against the current world No. 4. Her abrupt withdrawal raises questions about her health and more generally about how illness impacts professional athletes. As she continues to battle this virus, fans and fellow competitors alike hope for her swift recovery and return to form.
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