Team GB's Charley Hull got her Olympic golf gold medal bid off to the worst possible start after admitting pre-tournament that a ban on smoking may hinder her chances.
The 28-year-old hit her first tee shot in round one into the water at Le Golf National on Wednesday morning as she began her bid to improve on her seventh place finish at Rio 2016.
Hull has gone viral for her habit of smoking on the golf course, which she insists helps to manage her nerves after being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder last year.
But the world No 11 is not permitted to indulge in the activity at the Paris Games and she admitted that it could hamper her pursuit of a medal this time around.
'Yeah, I do smoke on the course, it’s just something I do.' She said after her practice round on Tuesday. 'It’s a habit but I won’t do it this week.
'I think it will [affect my chances]. Because it relaxes me a little bit. But it is what it is.'
United States’ Nelly Korda is the favourite for the gold medal but she also endured a slow start to the 72-hole event and sat tied at two over par with the Brit through her first four holes.
Team GB is hoping for further success in golf after Tommy Fleetwood secured a silver medal in the men's individual earlier this week.
Hull, who pulled out of the pandemic-delayed Olympics in 2021, is not the only British golfer bidding for success in Paris. She takes part in the competition alongside close friend and fellow British star, Georgia Hall.
She admitted that the bubble restrictions of the Tokyo Games ultimately forced her decision but insisted she had no regrets and claimed the absence has made the return in Paris even sweeter.
'It was the right thing to do at the time, but it makes me even more excited for Paris as Rio was such a long time ago,' she tells Mail Sport, speaking on behalf of Rizz.
The two-time winner on the LPGA will tee it up at former Ryder Cup course, Le Golf National on August 7 to 10.
On playing alongside Hall, who is making her Olympic debut, she said: 'We have known each other since we were 11 and grew up practicing together. It’s perfect to get to play with my best mate.'
The childhood pals have proven to be a formidable pairing in the past helping Europe crush the American Dream at the past three Solheim Cups.
Most recently, they teamed up at the Dow Championship, something which they claimed was a 'no-brainer.'
