Aussie Hull gets good vibes in Canada

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This article was published 28/08/2010 (5756 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

KATHERINE Hull looked at the leaderboard after firing a five-under par 67 and weighed her odds of making a charge on the weekend.

“When I won in Ottawa in 2008 I was six strokes back heading into Sunday,” said Hull, who now sits at two-under for the CN Canadian Women’s Open and eight shots back of 36-hold leader Michelle Wie. “Michelle will be tough to catch but it can be done.”

Hull missed a shortish putt for par on 18 for a 66 but walked off the course in fine spirits.

“I got to the range this morning and my back was feeling a little tight. On the first tee I told my caddy, ‘I’m just going for easy pars,’ but then a few holes in I said to myself, ‘You idiot, try to make as many birdies as you can.’ I needed a kick in the rear to refocus and get myself going.”

Hull, who won this event at the Ot­tawa Hunt and Country Club and fin­ished second in 2005 at Halifax’s Glen Arbour Golf Course, says there’s some­thing about Canada.

“I like the vibes here,” said Hull, a native of Australia and a graduate of California’s Pepperdine University. “I like the food, I like the fans and I love coming here. Golf Canada does a great job of picking courses and setting them up fair but tough.”

Hull had three birdies for a 33 on the front side and then four birdies and two bogeys on the back for a 34.

“I’ve been playing well lately but not scoring. I told myself to stay patient and the putts would eventually fall. They started to (Friday),” said Hull, who shot a boring 75 on Thursday.

“I really didn’t do anything terribly bad on Thursday. It was one of those rounds where you walk off the course disappointed with your score but not the way you played.”

Hull wears a Golf Fore Africa patch on her shirt.

“It’s a foundation started a few years ago by Betsy King and it’s primar­ily in support of children orphaned by AIDS,” explained Hull. “Their idea of poverty and ours is night and day. I visited Rwanda a few years ago. The children are happy playing with a ball made out of banana skins and twine. We gave them a soccer ball or two and it was like Christmas Day times a hun­dred. I grew up and my sister and I wanted tennis racquets and cricket bats and baseballs. Gimme, gimme, gimme. These kids have so little and they want so little. They’re lucky to get five meals a week and I eat five meals a day.”

Hull says a strong round today could set her up for some Sunday fun.

“The key is to give yourself oppor­tunities,” said Hull. “If I can keep giv­ing myself chances and stay patient, I should be around on Sunday.”

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca