Charley Hull moved to within one stroke of the lead at the PIF London Championship after equalling the Ladies European Tour's lowest round with a bogey-free 62 at the Centurion Club.
The Englishwoman's 11-under round broke the course record previously set by Georgia Hall in 2021 and propelled Hull into second place at 10-under overall. Hull's second-day performance included an eagle at the first hole and nine birdies, after she had opened the tournament with a 74.
Hull's 62 now places her alongside Haeran Ryu, Jessica Korda, Alison Lee and Karrie Webb among players who have posted the tour's lowest-ever score, tightening the race behind Canada's 17-year-old Anna Huang, who sits at 11-under after rounds of 67 and 68.
Hull admitted the effort came despite physical strain, saying, "I have been so tired this week, exhausted from the last couple of weeks, especially after the AIG Women's Open last week. I feel pretty tired and my body is in bits. I have got a few ongoing injuries, so I've been having a lot of physio. I'm quite shocked that I've shot 11-under because I felt so tired this morning. It felt like the easiest 11-under of my life. I'm standing here right now feeling like I left a couple of shots out there and I want to go and see if I can improve it."
The leaderboard shows Huang leading at -11, Hull second at -10, and Wales' Lydia Hall a further two strokes back in third on eight-under after a 67 in Hertfordshire. Also inside the top ranks are K Bennett (Aus) and A Donegan (Ire) at -7, and A Hewson (Eng), A van Dam (Ned) and S Tan (Sin) at -6, with selected others including E Young at -4 and C McGinty and C Gainer at -2.
Hull's week has been eventful beyond the scores; she defended herself after a prank on her caddie and arrived in Hertfordshire having finished joint sixth in The Open, where she began the final day in contention. Anna Huang described her round as steady if uneven, saying, "It was another good round, but it was a little bit more up-and-down than yesterday. I had a couple of bad mistakes here and there, but it's still something to be proud of."
The positions leave a narrow margin between the leaders and set up a tense finish, with Hull's surge and Huang's one-shot cushion defining the immediate contest for the title.
