Charley Hull brought Ozzie Smith, an MMA champion and her fiancé, to the ANA Inspiration
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — The most interesting couple here this week must be Charley Hull and her fiance Ozzie Smith. No, not THAT Ozzie Smith.
That Ozzie Smith is a Hall of Fame shortstop. Hull’s Ozzie Smith is a Mixed Martial Arts fighter, who a week ago won the Impact Fight UK 14 super-welterweight championship in England with Hull in attendance.
“My boyfriend had a fight, a title fight, and I went to watch him,” Hull said earlier this week, explaining why she returned to England after the Founders Cup in Phoenix and wasn’t at last week's Kia Classic in Carlsbad, Calif. “It's not about me and my golf. He sacrifices loads of things for me and my golf.
“At the end of the day, it was important for him to have a life as well. I went to go and watch him do that. I took the week off and practiced really hard last week. I feel my game is getting into some good form. Just need to get my putter hot because I am hitting a lot of greens.
“I had that week off to watch him fight and he won, so I'm proud of him.”
On his Facebook page, Smith introduces himself as “Ozzie bleeping Smith,” though bleeping is our word, not his. His is what you might guess it is.
Obviously, he is a character. So is Hull, who is 24th on the Rolex Rankings. She shot a three-under par 69 on Friday and is five off the lead.
Smith was with her when she won the Ladies European Tour season opener, Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open, in Abu Dhabi. “Well done to bubba so proud of her good win start season well done bubba loves ya,” he wrote on Facebook.
It is difficult to find out much else about Smith via Google, because his baseball namesake dominates results. Obviously, he is a character. So is Hull, who is 24th on the Rolex Rankings. She shot a three-under par 69 on Friday and is five off the lead.
Smith reportedly proposed to her on Christmas day.
