England’s Women’s Golf Moment Is Here—And It Matters More Than You Think

I’ve been covering professional golf for 35 years, and I’ve learned to recognize the difference between a hot streak and a genuine shift in the sport’s landscape. What’s happening right now with English women’s golf isn’t the former. It’s the latter.

When Lottie Woad cracked the top 10 in November, making her and Charley Hull the first two English players to occupy that space simultaneously, something clicked. Not just for these two talented competitors, but for an entire generation of English golfers who’ve been quietly building toward this moment. Having caddied for Tom Lehman back in the day, I’ve seen what it takes to reach these heights—consistency, mental toughness, and often, the benefit of a thriving domestic pipeline. England now has that pipeline humming.

More Than Just Rankings

Look at the facts on paper and you’ve got two players—Hull at No. 5 and Woad at No. 8—posting career-best rankings. That’s impressive. But dig deeper and the story gets richer. Both won on the LPGA last season. Both are competing at the highest levels internationally. Add in LPGA rookie Mimi Rhodes, currently 73rd in the world (another career-best), and you’re not looking at a couple of outliers. You’re looking at a cohort.

What strikes me most is the *depth* of English talent emerging right now. With Georgia Hall on maternity leave, you might expect a void. Instead, Rhodes stepped in and immediately made noise—including going viral for that bank-shot ace at the British Open last summer. That’s the kind of moment that captures imagination and, frankly, inspires the next wave of junior players back home.

“I like how you can be quite aggressive around here. If you hit it out of line, you’re on the sand.”

That’s Charley Hull talking about the Saudi Ladies International, a tournament she knows intimately. She’s got four wins on the Ladies European Tour, including one at Riyadh Golf Club two years ago, plus three additional top-10 finishes in Saudi Arabia. This isn’t someone showing up cold to a major event. This is a player who’s studied the course, understands its nuances, and has the record to prove it. When Hull talks about hitting a waste bunker shot to 10 feet on the 15th, she’s not bragging—she’s showing you the kind of course management and creative shotmaking that separates good players from great ones.

The Saudi Question, Honestly

Now, we need to address the elephant in the room. The Saudi Ladies International carries a $5 million purse—the highest in women’s golf outside the majors and the CME Group Tour Championship. That’s genuinely significant for growing the women’s game. But it comes attached to a complicated legacy. Saudi-backed events have sparked legitimate debate about human rights concerns, particularly regarding women’s treatment in the kingdom.

I’m not here to lecture anyone about geopolitics. But I’d be doing you a disservice if I pretended this tournament exists in a vacuum. What I *will* say is this: the emergence of Hull, Woad, and Rhodes represents something real and positive for women’s golf globally. Whether they’re competing in Saudi Arabia, Phoenix, or Porthcawl, their rise matters. The challenge for the sport—and for the players themselves—is figuring out how to champion that progress while remaining thoughtful about the platforms underwriting it.

English Golf’s Moment

In my three decades covering the tour, I’ve watched various countries experience their golfing moments. South Korea’s explosion in women’s golf. The Spanish contingent on the men’s side. Australia’s consistent presence. England’s had good players for years—Hall is a major champion—but rarely have we seen this kind of synchronized rise across multiple competitors at the elite level.

Hull headlines this week’s PIF Saudi Ladies International alongside defending champion Patty Tavatanakit and other top-tier talent. It’s the kind of field where reputations are built or tested. For an English golfer to arrive at such an event with genuine momentum—not hope, not promise, but actual results—that changes how you’re perceived and how you perceive yourself.

“That was an unbelievable shot, and I don’t know how I hit it there.”

Hull’s humility about her own brilliance is telling. These aren’t arrogant players riding a wave of hype. They’re grinders who’ve earned their spots through months and years of disciplined work. That’s the foundation that makes moments like this sustainable rather than fleeting.

What Comes Next

The Saudi Ladies International marks the opening salvo of the 2026 LET season, and it’s part of a broader five-tournament series backed by PIF Global Series. For English golf, that infrastructure matters. Regular, well-funded international competition creates the kind of environment where players improve rapidly.

Whether Hull, Woad, and Rhodes can maintain their trajectories—whether they can convert these career-best rankings into sustained excellence—that’s the next chapter. But I’ve seen enough in 35 years to know you don’t stumble into this space by accident. Something real is happening with English women’s golf right now.

I’ll be watching closely.