74
(^) Daily Mail, Tuesday, July 30, 2019
I kept trophy
under my bed
... but I’m not
ready to
give it up
GEORGIA HALL ON HER
YEAR AS OPEN CHAMPION
EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEW
by Derek
Lawrenson
Golf Correspondent
A
soft rain was
falling as Georgia
Hall made her way
to the first tee at
Woburn for an early
practice round ahead
of her defence this week of
the women’s British open.
As if the elements were
not unwelcome enough, she
had this golf writer for
company.
It was a squeeze to fit the round
in, given the following day she was
moving into a swish new flat in
sunningdale. It has been that sort
of whirlwind year for the 23-year-
old, one of upheaval and learning
that is invariably par for the course
for someone who wins such an
important title when so young.
she proves good company,
telling some nice stories about her
scheme of things. I just needed a
little push, and you can rely on
Charley for that.’
Along the same demure lines is
the fact Hall has not spent
evenings staring at the trophy on
the mantelpiece. Indeed, she
speaks somewhat sheepishly
when I ask if the trophy has had
special pride of place.
‘Not exactly,’ she responds. ‘I
kept it under the bed for three
months, because I was travelling
so much and I didn’t want it on
show. that’s not good, is it? I did
let my mum and dad look after it
as well, if that helps.’
Ask Hall how life has changed and
she recalls walking on the beach
while on holiday in Barbados.
‘this bloke is walking past me in
the other direction, and he says,
“Hello, Georgia, well done on the
British open win.” I’m thinking,
“How on earth can he recognize
me in my beach outfit?”
‘then there was the time I was
walking through the airport, with
my suitcases, and someone says,
“that’s a very normal way for you
to enter the country.” I
mean, how am I sup-
posed to enter
the country? It’s
all very strange
at times.’
on the
course, Hall’s
results have
been modest,
including a tied
37th place in the
Evian Champion-
ship on sunday.
Indeed, she has
mustered just
one top 10 so far,
a reflection partly
of playing too much in
America early on.
‘I got my schedule wrong at
the start of the season,’ she
said. ‘You look at all the strong
tournaments, you’re a major
champion and you want to play,
but I took on too many. It can be
hard as well when you like living
in Britain. I’m grateful for the
opportunities that America
offers, but I’m a home bird
at heart.’
that becomes obvious when
the conversation turns to her
schedule, featuring not just
her title defence but the
solheim Cup in septem-
ber. ‘We don’t get a chance
embrace. Every other week, Hall’s
caddie is her boyfriend Harry, a
decent golfer himself at Hindhead
in surrey. so who will be carrying
the bag at Woburn?
‘oh, it will be my dad,’ said Hall.
‘that would be a really bad thing if
I didn’t ask him.’
Besides, Harry will have plenty
to occupy his time. ‘He’s organised
a few coachloads from Hindhead,’
said Hall. ‘from what I can under-
stand, the entire ladies’ section is
coming up to watch, so he’s going
to have a lot of chatting to do.’
thankfully, the rain eases off as
we make our way around the
stately Marquess course.
obviously, Hall is a good golfer,
but you do not realise just how
good until you are standing up
close. she is a top-class ball striker,
if perhaps one better suited to the
wily questions posed by links
rather than inland target golf.
When I make the point, she
demonstrates she is not frightened
of expressing an opinion.
‘I’ve nothing against Woburn — I
think we can both see it’s a beauti-
ful course to play,’ she began. ‘But
I’m a links girl at heart and I think
the open should be played only on
links courses. to me, it’s what the
open is about. You wouldn’t see
the men play their open on an
inland course, would you?’
the nice thing for Hall is that she
will not be standing in a lonely
spotlight this week with Hull, the
Woburn member who will not
mind that the open is being staged
inland, and Bronte Law, who won
in America earlier this year.
‘We’re all a similar age and we’ve
all know each other for years,’ said
Hall. ‘Bronte stayed at university
longer so that’s why she’s only
coming through now. they’re both
fantastic players and I know me
winning the open will spur them
on to win majors of their own.’
Hall taps in on 18 to finish her
practice round a couple under par.
Now, for the real thing. the trophy
has come out from under the bed
and is up for grabs. ‘I’m planning
on jealously guarding it,’ she says.
to play much in Britain, so to have
two such enormous occasions in a
relatively short space of time is
going to be brilliant,’ she said. ‘I
love the open. You have a differ-
ent feeling each time you play in
one and obviously this is going to
be a special occasion for me.
‘I’m going into it with the focus
that this is my trophy and I’m not
going to let anyone take it away
from me. If I’m in contention,
I’ll have that confidence of
knowing that in the biggest
major for me I can hit the
right shot at the right
time.’
to the delight of a
large crowd at
Lytham last
year, she did
that all right,
culminating
in a memorable
scene on the 18th
green. Her father,
and caddie that
week, Wayne —
the man who
named her
Georgia in
honour
of sir
Nick
faldo’s
victory
over Greg
Norman at
the 1996 Masters
on the weekend she was born
— wrapped her in a joyous,
Golf
Claret hug:
Hall and
dad Wayne
celebrate
Open win
GETTY IMAGES
DAILY MAIL FOURSOMES
CARA SLOMAN
SUNNINGDALE’S Rachel
Harrison and Louisa Tarn are
proving to be hot shots on
their debut after racing into
the last 32. The duo have a
combined handicap of four,
making them one of the lowest
pairs in the competition.
They needed to give Jackie
Edwards and Pam Tierney,
from Lambourne, a shot a hole
and looked to have a fight on
their hands when all square
after nine. But they won three
holes in a row on their New
Course to secure a 4&3 victory.
American Harrison, 45, said:
‘Foursomes was not a format
I was exposed to until I moved
here. I have had to learn it and
I always say I don’t apologise
when I hit a bad shot because
I don’t intend
to do it.’
The clubmates
are now on the
brink of reaching the grand
finals, with one knockout
round left before the final 16
women’s and men’s pairs head
to Slaley Hall in October.
http://www.slaleyhallhotel.com/golf
year in office, including one that
happily illustrates that the spoils
of her major success have not gone
to the head of the plasterer’s
daughter from Bournemouth.
Picture Georgia in seattle, a
short time after her win at Royal
Lytham. she is standing outside
tiffany’s, debating whether to
treat herself to a beautiful ring
from the more modest price range
of the famous jewellery store.
she went back and forth, trying
it on three times. that evening,
she had dinner with fellow pro
Charley Hull. ‘I was telling her my
dilemma and she asked me how
much it cost,’ recalled Hall.
‘When I told Charley, she just
looked at me and said, “flippin’
heck, Georgia, you’ve just won the
British open, of course you should
treat yourself ”. I suppose it was a
bit silly. It was a lot of money for
me but not a lot in the grand
TV: LIVE on Sky Sports Golf from
11am on Thursday.
Highlights on BBC Two from 11.15pm.
Up for the
cup: Hall
kisses the
Open trophy
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