Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
Smoking cigarettes has largely fallen out of fashion on the golf course and in the world in general, but there’s been one very notable exception in the form of LPGA player Charley Hull. However, she’s attempting to kick the habit to the curb with the help of a bet that will force her to fork over $10,000 if she’s not able to follow through.
It’s not super rare to see someone puffing on a cigar or (especially in this day and age) light up a joint on the golf course, and while there are still more than a few golfers who prefer a good, old-fashioned cigarette, they’re an increasingly rare breed thanks in no small part to the well-documented downsides of a dart-heavy diet.
There probably isn’t a single professional golfer more people associate with that particular vice than John Daly, a man who reportedly managed to make it through two packs of them during the first round of the PGA Championship last year.
However, there’s another who’s garnered plenty of attention for the same reason: Charley Hull, the 28-year-old LPGA player hailing from England who became a bit of a sensation in 2024 after people discovered she had a tendency to chief cigs during (and before and after) her rounds.
Hull—who has previously said she started smoking to try to quit vaping and credits nicotine with helping her relax on the course—has leaned into the habit that has undoubtedly helped boost her profile by signing a fan’s cigarette at a tournament and borrowing a spectator’s lighter at another.
It’s become part of her routine to the point where the 10th-ranked women’s golfer on the planet acknowledged she was worried her game would be impacted when she was prevented from sparking up during the Summer Olympics in Paris—fears that turned out to be somewhat justified when you consider she finished in a tie for 27th.
However, it would appear she’s decided to enter a new era.
On Monday, Hull took to her Instagram Story to post a video she took during a round with European Tour golfer Ryan Evans where she handed him a pack of cigarettes and pledged to quit while promising to give him $10,000 if she’s caught slipping up at any point in the next two months.
🚨💰🚭 JUST IN: LPGA star Charley Hull will try to quit smoking cigarettes: “Today, I’ve made the decision to stop smoking & I’m going to do a 10-grand bet that, if I pick up a cigarette in the next two months, I’ll give you 10-grand.” @CharleyLegion
(Via: @HullCharley) pic.twitter.com/pCLZc5kMsQ
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) March 17, 2025
It’s probably a good call from a health standpoint, and if Zyn knows what it’s doing, it will be offering her a sponsorship deal by the end of the day.