8am Round-Up: Charley Hull playing with fractured wrist

Charley Hull is hoping to go one better than last year in this week's ANA Inspiration in Palm Springs in California

The injury, in fact, is something that the 21-year-old is going to have to nurse for the rest of her career.

Her diagnosis was delivered by an American Football consultant after Hull felt some pain in her wrist last week in practice.

“I saw a guy who works with a lot of NFL players and he said it is fractured but it’s not new – it’s more like a chip out of the bone that’s been there a while,” Hull told the Daily Telegraph.

“He told me it’s always going to be there, but that I will be able to play with it. I’d inflamed it, though, so he said to take the week off.”

Hull, who is bidding to go one better than last year in this week’s event in Palm Springs, added: “I will sleep with it strapped and do everything else with it strapped, but fortunately when I play golf I will be able to take it off.”

Fourteen-year-old Lucy Li is set to join Hull in this week’s field after winning the AJGA’s ANA Junior Inspiration at Mission Hills Country Club.

Li, who made history in 2014 by becoming the youngest player to qualify for the US Women’s Open, is one of six amateurs set to play in the 46th edition of the ANA Inspiration.

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Perhaps the result of the schedule including just one Scottish event this season, less than 30 players are competing at The Carrick on Loch Lomond over the next two days in the first stage in this season’s PGA EuroPro Tour Qualifying School.

That’s a considerable drop from the corresponding qualifier last season at Haggs Castle, where Clydeway Golf’s James Steven led 23 players in progressing to the final at Frilford Heath. The card battle concludes at the Oxfordshire venue again next week.

Among those aiming to be involved in that are Paul Lawrie’s oldest son, Craig, and also the 1999 Open champion’s nephew, Sean, who warmed up for this test by storming to victory in the North-East Alliance Championship a week ago.

Others hoping to negotiate the first hurdle safely on home soil include Danny Kay, who had a couple of outings on the MENA Tour in Morocco recently, as well as former Scottish Amateur champion John Gallagher.

As always, a number of amateurs are using the third-tier circuit to test the waters in the paid ranks, the hopefuls on this occasion including Scott Gibson, Simon Lockhart, Lawrence Allan

and Abu Dhabi-based Ruairidh Mitchell.

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Eddie Pepperell has hit back at American Kelly Kraft over claims by the American that it is easier for non-PGA Tour players to climb the world rankings.

“It’s amazing to me how fast some of the Asian Tour/Euro Tour guys rise in the world golf rankings,” wrote Kraft on Twitter.

Replying on the social media site, Pepperell said: “Some fall pretty fast, too. Maybe come and play in Europe before displaying your ignorance for us.”

As the spat continued, Kraft tweeted: “So defensive. Settle down bud.”

Replying to that, Pepperell countered: “Not defensive Kelly. Just disappointed for you that you chose to tweet this. Only option, like mine, is to play better. Good luck.”

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The PGA Tour has announced that it will begin testing the use of distance measuring devices during competition at select tournaments this year.

The testing will take place on the Web.com Tour, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.

Each of the three Tours will allow use of the devices by players and caddies at four consecutive tournaments, including Monday qualifiers.

“For years there has been significant discussion and debate about whether distance measuring devices would have a positive or negative impact on competition at the highest levels of professional golf,” said the PGA Tour’s chief tournaments officer, Andy Pazder.

“The only way we can accurately assess their impact is to conduct an actual test during official competition on one or more of our Tours.

“We look forward to seeing how these tests go and carefully evaluating the use of the devices over those weeks.

“Our evaluation will consider the impact on pace of play, optics and any other effects they might have on the competition.”

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Englishman Scott Gregory handed himself a boost heading into The Masters by winning the Georgia Cup.

He beat Australian world No 1 Curtis Luck at the 19th hole in the annual battle between the Amateur and US Amateur champion at the Golf Club of Georgia.

Gregory joins the likes of Matt Kuchar, Sergio Garcia, Ryan Moore and Richie Ramsay on the event’s roll of honour.

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Three European Tour players - Thomas Pieters, Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood - have accepted special temporary membership of the PGA Tour for the remainder of the 2016-17 season.

With the special membership, the three are eligible for unlimited sponsor exemptions for the rest of the season.

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Stirling scored a double success as the Scottish Students’ Championship reached a conclusion after a third day’s action at Moray Golf Club in Lossiemouth.

With closing rounds of 73 and 68 for a 274 total, Laird Shepherd claimed the men’s title by eight shots from Riccardo Cellerino (University of the Highlands and Islands).

And, in a closer-fought women’s event, Gemma Batty finished ahead of Sinead Sexton in a Stirling 1-2, signing off with scores of 70 and 74 to win by two shots on 286.

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Scotland look to have a strong chance of repeating a 2014 Nations Cup triumph in an event taking place over the next four days at Sotogrande in Spain.

Liam Johnston, who won the African Amateur Championship at the beginning of the month, will be hoping to maintain his good form and is joined for this assignment by Robert MacIntyre, Connor Syme and Craig Howie.

Flying the Saltire in the women’s event, meanwhile, are Hannah McCook, Shannon McWilliam and Chloe Goadby.

“The European Nations Cup is a great event at Sotogrande and we look forward to competing at both men’s and women’s level,” said national coach Ian Rae.

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Helped by amassing an impressive 43 points in the second round at North Berwick, Nick Bird is the new leader at the halfway stage in the East Lothian Links Cup.

The day’s winning effort lifted the Stourbridge man to 78 points overall, three ahead of Darford’s Marc Murphy, who had claimed the first-round spoils on Gullane No 2 on a countback.

Another English challenger, Charley Allsopp from Stamford, sits third on 73, a point ahead of the leading Scot, Minto’s Gary McDonagh, as well as Rob Seabrook (Pyecombe).