Charley Hull inspired by 'cool guy' Sir Michael Bonallack for St Andrews title bid

Charley Hull caught Sir Michael Bonallack’s eye as a potential star when she teed up as an amateur at St Andrews and now the English player is hoping to be inspired by his memory in this week’s AIG Women’s Open on the Old Course.

The event is the first major to be held at the Fife venue following the death of Bonallack, Britain’s most decorated amateur golfer and leading figure in the sport, last September and Hull spoke warmly about him in her pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday.

“He was a lovely man. Very lovely,” said last year’s runner-up of the five-time Amateur champion and former secretary of The Royal & Ancient Golf Club who was remembered in fitting style at a Memorial Service in St Andrews in May.

Charley Hull pictured during a practice round prior to the AIG Women's Open at St Andrews. Picture: Ross Parker/R&A/R&A via Getty Images.

Later asked how her connection with Bonallack had come about, Hull revealed it had been through cutting her teeth in the game at Woburn when she was just eight years old.

“His daughter, Glenna, was the secretary there,” she said, “and when I came here to play in an amateur event (the annual St Rule Trophy held on both the Old and New Courses), she said ‘you can stay with my mum and dad’, which I did.

“He actually came out and watched me one really horrible, windy day when we played, and he was really impressed with my game because I used blades. He was a pretty cool guy.

“We used to always have dinner at night and it was great. Then I stayed with him at the 2013 British Open. They were lovely, lovely people.”

Hull was just eight when she made her first visit to St Andrews for the HSBC Wee Wonders and was also here as a fan for The Open in 2010. “Came up to watch Tiger [Woods],” she said. “Yeah, just have a lot of good memories,” she added of the venue for the season’s final major

“I played here again in March/April time, and that was fun. I did something with The R&A and got to play 18 holes. It is a really special place and I really like the pies on the halfway house. But they didn't have them here yesterday; I was gutted.”

American Lilia Vu, who came out on top over Hull in a thrilling last-day duel at Walton Heath 12 months ago, revealed what will be fuelling her bid this week to become the event’s first back-to-back winner since Yani Tseng in 2010 and 2011.

“I got a cat from it - that was my bribe from my dad last year,” said Vu, smiling, in reply to being asked what had been the most exciting thing to come out of her title triumph. “I named it Walton after Walton Heath and he’s given me another bribe to get another cat if I can win another major, so hopefully I can do that this week.”