Charley Hull, the world's seventh-ranked women's golfer, bought a fake scratchcard from a Blackpool joke shop and used it to convince her caddie he had won £100,000 — then refused to apologise when the backlash arrived.

The prank targeted Adam Woodward, who has carried Hull's bag for the vast majority of her professional career. Hull handed him the bogus card, watched his reaction swing from euphoria to despondence as the truth dawned, and filmed the whole thing. She posted the clip to her Instagram account — which has 843,000 followers — with the caption: "The look on his face when he realised it was fake" (Instagram).

Hull bought the fake scratchcards the night before the Women's Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes, where she was due to begin her campaign. She revealed the prank during pre-tournament media duties. Beth Ann Nichols of Golfweek broke the story by posting the video on X/Twitter, where it racked up 2.5 million views (Golfweek via X). Sky Sports, the BBC, Fox News outlet Outkick, and The Times all followed with coverage.

The reaction was sharp. Many viewers called the prank cruel — a man led to believe a life-changing sum was his, then told it was a joke. The Times published a piece headlined "Charley Hull faces backlash for £100,000 scratchcard prank on caddie" (The Times). The Guardian went with "Charley Hull refuses to apologise after £100,000 scratchcard prank on caddie" (The Guardian).

Hull, for her part, was unrepentant. "People need to lighten up," she said, according to The Guardian. "If people don't like it they can lump it." She insisted Woodward took it well, saying he "thought it was funny after, he is not uptight." When asked whether she would do it again, she said she "100%" would. She also promised to buy Woodward 100 real scratchcards at the end of the week by way of compensation.

On the course, Hull appeared untroubled by the fuss. She opened the Women's Open with a two-under-par 69 at Royal Lytham — a solid round on a links course (the seaside, wind-exposed layouts that define British golf) that punishes loose shots with deep bunkers and punishing rough. Hull deletes social media from her phone during tournament weeks and re-adds it when she goes home, so the online storm may have passed her by entirely while she focused on her golf.

For a player and caddie, the relationship is unusually close. They spend hours together in all weathers, reading wind and ground, choosing clubs, managing nerves. Woodward has been a near-constant presence through Hull's professional career. Whether a fake £100,000 scratchcard strengthens that bond or tests it is something only they know — but Hull, at least, seems certain the joke landed where she intended.