Charley Hull’s ‘Quick Drag’ Becomes Olympic Fans’ Frenzied Debate Topic Igniting Wild Speculations

Will she or will she not? And if she does, will it be the first? Ahead of the Olympic women’s golf event, Charley Hull’s name is making the rounds among golf fans. The question is not whether she would dash Nelly Korda’s hopes. It’s whether she would smoke during the event.

Charley Hull went viral for signing an autograph with a cigarette hanging on her lips during the U.S. Women’s Open. Later, the British international was also spotted signing her scorecard while smoking a cigarette. Over the next few weeks, Hull had to field many strange requests. One person dropped his number, asking her for a date. Another extended cigarette to get it signed.

Hull, however, found nothing out of the ordinary. She revealed her dad has smoked ‘40 a day since he was 12’. Her 25-year-old nephew smokes; everyone in her family is a smoker, she joked.

On comparisons with John Daly, notorious for ripping darts on the course, Hull said, “I find it quite funny, because I actually do go to the gym and I’m a very healthy person. I only smoke. I hardly drink. I don’t need to drink because, actually, I can have a fun time without it.” It’s been a few weeks since then, but one mention of her smoking sparked many speculations.

The Internet is filled with wild Charley Hull theories!

So far, Hull has been spotted smoking only after the rounds or in the practice range. Unlike her compatriot, Daniel Brown, at the Open Championship, she hasn’t lit up a cigarette in between two shots. Many expect it will continue to be so. Others are doubtful, however.

Perhaps a John Daly comparison was inevitable, as one user sarcastically asked, “Has John Daly never competed at the Olympics?” Daly has never shied away from lighting up a Marlboro on the greens. Occasionally, he replaced it with his favorite San Giuseppe cigar. But of course, Daly never got the chance to participate in the Olympics because golf was only re-introduced to the Olympics in 2016.

On the other hand, Claire Rogers of Golf.com posed an interesting question. “Is Charley Hull going to become the first athlete in Olympic history to smoke DURING their competition this week.” Well, technically, she won’t be the first to do so.

Hull’s compatriot, Shirley Strong, a British hurdler, admitted she used to smoke after every race. Strong even has a picture with a cigarette in between her fingers and the Olympic silver medal wrapped around her neck. Some are yet to forget that visual, as one user commented, “Shirley strong 1984 100 m hurdles.”

But what about this year’s Olympics? Has someone done it already? Some would wager on Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec, who went viral for shooting without any protective gear at the 10-meter air pistol mixed team event. One user commented, “My money would have been on the Turkish pistol shooter to be the first.”

On the other hand, Jamie Weir of Sky Sports joked, that Charley Hull would smoke during the medal ceremony. “Quick drag between ‘God save our gracious King’ and ‘Long live our noble King.'” This is her second appearance in the Olympics, having secured a T7 in Rio. A podium finish would be glorious for Great Britain after Tommy Fleetwood’s near-gold medal miss.

Of course, there is no certainty whether Charley Hull would smoke or not. While the Internet has gone wild every time she smokes on course, the two-time LPGA Tour winner has maintained a low-key stance on it. That might be the case at Le Golf National as well.