Hull and world number five Lottie Woad are among the favourites for this, the last of the year's five majors. World number one Nelly Korda held off Hull's charge at June's US Open for what proved yet another near-miss in the tournaments that matter most. A year ago Hull shot a three-under-par final round at Royal Porthcawl to finish in a share of second place, two shots behind Miyu Yamshita. The pain of that defeat became acute this week when Hull saw the posters depicting past champions on her way to Lytham. The world number seven won the Saudi Ladies International early in the year, but admits the rest of her season has been a mixed bag.