Viral Smoking Golfer Charley Hull Blames Poor Olympics Performance on Shower Fall

British golfer Charley Hull had a rough opening round at the 2024 Summer Olympics , but it’s not because she wasn’t allowed to smoke on the course.

Hull, 28, who went viral after being photographed with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth at the U.S. Women’s Open in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, back in May, shot an opening round 81 (+9) at Le Golf National on Wednesday, August 7.

However, when asked whether the Paris 2024 health and safety guidelines — which prohibit smoking on the golf course — were responsible, Hull offered up another reason.

After her round, Hull told reporters she “fell over coming out of the shower before I was getting my flight.” Hull said the fall resulted in a “bit of arthritis now in my shoulder.”

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The injury happened weeks ago, which forced Hull to pull out of the Aramco Team Series London in early July.

“It's just like I feel a bit rusty,” Hull explained, “because obviously it's been five weeks since I last played properly a four-day event.”

Still, despite the difficult day on the links, Hull managed to have a sense of humor about the entire thing.

She joked, “I was just saying to my agent, I'm so frustrated. I wish I didn't have a shower before my flight now.”

When asked whether the smoking ban had anything to do with her performance, Hull said, “Definitely not.”

Before the event, the two-time LPGA Tour champion sang a bit of a different tune, saying the ban “could” impact her play “because it relaxes me a little bit.”

Hull shrugged and said, “It is what it is.”

During her second round on Thursday, August 9, Hull recovered and shot a 71 (-1). Given the rough start, however, her two-day tally of +8 puts her 16 strokes behind leader Morgane Metraux of Switzerland.

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Unlike regular LPGA events, the Olympic tournament has no cut line, meaning Hull will still compete over the weekend despite being far off the pace.

Before she teed off at the Olympics, Hull discussed the commotion surrounding the photos of her smoking earlier this year.

“It was crazy,” Hull told the Daily Mail in a story published Tuesday, August 6. “Not really what I was expecting, but I guess it shows that any publicity is good publicity.”

She continued, “I’d rather make the headlines for my golf, but hopefully it helped to attract a few new fans to golf!”

The third round of the women’s individual stroke play event continues from Le Golf National on Saturday, August 9.