Evian Championship: Charley Hull withdraws with illness

England’s Charley Hull has withdrawn from the Evian Championship during the first round because of illness.

Hull completed 12 holes of the year’s fourth major and was one-under par before she was taken from the French course on a medical cart.

Sky Sports said the 29-year-old, who started on the 10th hole, had been suffering with a virus and had sat in a fairway bunker on the third hole before collapsing at the fourth tee.

After taking a 15-minute medical time-out she took her tee shot on the fourth, but collapsed again and was then taken off the course.

Ireland’s Leona Maguire is one of several clubhouse leaders tied on six-under par after her 65, the highlight of which was a hole-in-one on the par-three second.

Hull’s best finish at the 2022 Evian Championship was a tie for third in 2022 and her best result in a major this year is a tie for 12th at the US Women’s Open and Women’s PGA Championship.

She won the Aramco Team Series event in Riyadh in November to claim her first victory since 2022.

The world number 19 has never won a major, but has finished second at the Women’s British Open, US Women’s Open and the Chevron Championship, with a top-10 finish at the Women’s PGA Championship.