Growing up, Charley Hull idolized Anna Kournikova. So when Sports Illustrated came calling for the Swimsuit Issue, the world No. 8 didn't hesitate, calling it a childhood dream.
In the run-up to the Maybank Championship in Malaysia last month, Hull took the roughly two-hour flight from London to Ibiza for the shoot. From the plane, she went straight into hair and makeup and took photos until 8 p.m.
"Hats off to models, because it seems like a very easy job, but I didn't realize how hard it was," said Hull on the eve of The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican.
"Yeah, it was pretty cool. And then the next day we did like a content day on the boat, and, yeah, it was just super fun. It was good. And then I flew home that evening and I ate loads
of cookies at the airport."
Hull won on the LET earlier this year at the PIF Saudi Ladies International but has yet to break through on the LPGA, finishing in a share of second to Nelly Korda at the U.S. Women's Open at Riviera. She also placed second at the PIF London Championship.
What would get her over the line? Hole more putts, she said.
"Win or lose on a Saturday, Sunday, I'll be going Raising Cane's on my drive down to Naples," she said with a smile.
Charley Hull on her dream shoot for SI's Swimsuit issue (and the all the cookies she ate after it was done!) ...
— Beth Ann Nichols (@GolfweekNichols) November 11, 2026
"It's always been like a childhood dream since I was younger because one of my main idols growing up was Anna Kournikova. She's a tennis player, and she was always in… pic.twitter.com/7PPvcC0OhZ
The last two events of the season are two of Hull's favorite all year for a number of reasons, including their position on the calendar. Hull, of course, is a former champion at the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida.
She likes the track in Belleair, too, especially the way Pelican Golf Club is playing longer in softer conditions, noting that she hit a 4-iron into 18 in the pro-am and on the second hole, where she typically hits gap wedge, had 6-iron.
"So I think it's making it even more of a test," she said, "and the greens are quite undulated ... just a proper ball-strikers' golf course."
Beth Ann Nichols is a senior Golfweek writer covering the LPGA and women's golf.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Charley Hull ate 'loads of cookies' after Sports Illustrated swimsuit shoot
