Before Jason Day hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy at Whistling Straits in 2015, he was golf’s most talented non-winner in majors, a distinction Charley Hull now has to contend with. The World No. 5 sat across from a man who once carried the same weight. During an appearance on “Tour Tuesday EP. 2,” aired January 9, 2026, Hull let slip a confession that revealed more about her psychology than any statistic ever could.

“I’ve had five second-place finishes in major championships,” Hull told Day at Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, Florida. “Just never got it over the line.”

The admission landed quietly, almost matter-of-factly. But those words carried years of accumulated heartbreak. Records confirm four verified runner-up finishes: the 2016 ANA Inspiration, where she finished one stroke behind Lydia Ko; the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open, three strokes behind Allisen Corpuz; the 2023 AIG Women’s Open, six strokes behind Lilia Vu; and the 2025 AIG Women’s Open, two strokes behind Miyu Yamashita. Hull’s personal count may include an additional near-miss she considers significant.

Day responded instantly. “Don’t worry, it’s going to happen. You just keep putting yourself there. It’s bound to happen, you know.”

He earned the right to speak those words through his own purgatory. Before Whistling Straits, Day finished T2 at the 2011 Masters, two strokes behind Charl Schwartzel. Months later, he settled for T2 again at the 2011 U.S. Open, eight strokes behind Rory McIlroy. The 2013 U.S. Open delivered the same result—T2, three strokes behind Justin Rose. Three runner-up finishes in majors by age 25. Then came August 16, 2015: a final-round 67, a record 20-under par, and a three-stroke victory over Jordan Spieth. The nearly man became a champion.

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Hull now inhabits that same space Day once occupied – elite enough to contend repeatedly, still searching for the moment everything clicks.

The conversation drifted to beginnings. Hull explained she started playing golf at age two, learning in the garden by “whacking plastic balls” alongside her brother Ben. She grew up competing primarily against boys. That upbringing forged her aggressive style, her comfort under pressure, her refusal to play conservatively.

This confession didn’t emerge from despair. Hull returned to winning form in 2025, claiming her third LPGA title at the Kroger Queen City Championship in September despite collapsing at the Evian Championship, tearing a muscle in her back, and snapping an ankle ligament weeks before her breakthrough win.

During the same “Tour Tuesday” appearance, Hull revealed she is working on a complete swing change, straightening her legs on the downswing, following the same route Tiger Woods took 28 years ago. Day acknowledged the odds stacked against her, noting she’d flown from the UK, driven two hours from Miami, battled injury, and was changing her swing mid-season. Hull lost the match by just one stroke despite all of it.

Day’s message carried the weight of lived experience. But Hull has already identified where she wants her breakthrough to arrive.

Charley Hull targets U.S. Open and British Open for 2026 breakthrough

When Day asked about her favorite tournament, Hull didn’t hesitate. “I love the US Open… US Open and the British Open.”

Those two majors now carry specific stakes. The 2026 U.S. Women’s Open arrives June 4-7 at Erin Hills. The AIG Women’s Open follows July 30-August 2 at Carnoustie. Hull has played 11 editions of the U.S. Women’s Open, with her best finish coming at Pebble Beach in 2023. At the AIG Women’s Open, she has finished runner-up twice in the last three years.

Day’s advice wasn’t consolation. It was mathematics. The law of averages favors those who repeatedly contend. Hull doesn’t need reinvention. She needs patience, and perhaps one Sunday when everything aligns. Before Whistling Straits, nobody believed Jason Day would break through. Hull’s version of that moment hasn’t arrived yet. But the pattern suggests it will.