Charley Hull has refused to apologise for a prank in which she convinced her caddie he had won £100,000 on a scratchcard, telling critics to "lighten up" and adding: "If people don't like it, they can lump it." The episode, which took place during this week's AIG Women's Open, has divided opinion across the golf world.

Hull bought a fake lottery ticket in Blackpool, England, and presented it to her caddie, Adam Woodward, who believed he had landed a six-figure sum. The moment nearly prompted Woodward to quit his job on the spot, according to Yahoo Sports. Hull has since acknowledged feeling bad for him, but her remedy is unconventional: she has promised to buy him "100 scratchcards" at the end of the week.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Hull said Woodward "thought it was funny after" and "is not uptight." She defended the prank as "pretty funny" and urged those offended to "loosen up." BBC Sport

The Guardian reported on July 30 that Hull has declined to offer any formal apology. The Guardian Golf Digest separately quoted her telling detractors: "If people don't like it, they can lump it." Golf Digest

Hull also revealed a personal habit that may explain her brisk dismissal of online criticism: she deletes social media from her phone during tournament weeks and re-adds it only when she goes home. The 30-year-old Englishwoman is competing in the AIG Women's Open, one of the five women's major championships — the most prestigious events in women's golf.

For Woodward, the line between a joke and a crisis was thin. A caddie does far more than carry the bag: they read putts, check the wind, suggest club selections, and act as a sounding board under pressure. Losing one mid-tournament, or having one walk away shaken, is no small disruption. That Woodward nearly walked — and that Hull says he later laughed it off — captures the strange tension at the heart of the story.

The prank has drawn sharp reactions from fans and fellow professionals alike, though Hull appears entirely untroubled by the noise. With the Women's Open still in progress, her focus, she says, remains on golf. The scratchcards, presumably, can wait until Sunday.