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RICOH WOMENâ€™S BRITISH OPEN

August 1, 2018

Georgia Hall

Fife, Scotland

MODERATOR: Welcome Georgia Hall to the Ricoh Women's British Open Media Centre. It's your sixth appearance in the championship. She was a ^ (indiscernible) winner in 2013. She's actually made three of five cuts and your best finish was tied third last year at Kingsbarns. Welcome to Lytham the first time.

GEORGIA HALL: Thank you.

MODERATOR: You've spoke with links golf and this tournament being one of your favorites of the year. Can you try and tell us a little bit why that is?

GEORGIA HALL: Well, I play well when I get to play links golf, so the two weeks here I try and make the most of it. And when I play links golf, it normally means I'm quite close to home, so I'm always happy about that because I'm always in America most. And I like to keep the ball quite low naturally even when I'm in America, so to do be able to do it here makes it more fun for me.

MODERATOR: You've made the last six cuts in a row after a tricky start in America. Your scores are trending positively. Does that give you some confidence coming in to this week?

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, I think at the start of the year I had to adapt quite a bit, especially with traveling. I didn't really think it would make a difference because I've always traveled quite a bit. But traveling that much to America and kind of being away from home quite a lot, much more than I was last year, kind of took its toll on me a bit. But I think I've got it now and I know my routine and what suits me. So I think that's why I'm playing a bit better now.

MODERATOR: So you're please to be back in England.

GEORGIA HALL: Definitely. Sometimes I forget I'm in England because I'm so used to being in America. But I'm excited to be here.

MODERATOR: Last year was your best finish in a major, tied third. What confidence can you take from coming down the stretch on Sunday in contention to win? Has that helped you this year and helped you kind of take yourself to the next level as a golfer?

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, it's definitely helped my confidence going into this week. You know, playing so well last year, and on a links golf course, you know, I was extremely happy with my result. And I've had some good practice rounds yesterday, and I've got like nine holes this afternoon. So I look forward to the week. It should be good.

MODERATOR: Laura Davies was in here a couple of hours ago saying that you were one of the potential ones to watch as a Brit for this tournament. How do you feel about that, getting that sort of praise from someone like Dame Laura Davies?

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah. It's a massive compliment from her. She's an incredible player. And for her to say that is very kind. I think on this golf course, anyone can win really. I think it's mostly about course management. There's so many bunkers out there, I think you just gotta avoid them off the tees, and it makes it a little easier going into the greens.

MODERATOR: I just saw your father walk in with you, and it reminded me that he's on the bag this week as well as last week, a replacement from your boyfriend, Harry, who's usually on the bag. Just tell us a little bit about why your dad has come on to caddie for you this week.

GEORGIA HALL: He used to caddie for me quite a lot as an amateur and he doesn't get to like watch me play that much anymore because I'm always in America. And he's done the last like three or four British Opens, Scottish Opens. And we played so well together last year that it's definitely right for him to be on the bag this week and last week.

MODERATOR: Great. We'll open it up for questions.

Q. Georgia, you finished tied for third last year. Really kind of announced your name, I suppose, on the worldwide stage. Perhaps the American audience knew a little bit more about you after that than the European audience had. Have you noticed a difference in how you're received by fans around the world ow that you do play a lot in the States since playing so well here last year?
GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, definitely. I think it's grown loads since coming to the British Open and Solheim last year. I do have a lot more kind of fans in the U. S. now. It's always nice to have them anywhere I go in the world. But, you know, I think I have some fans here and the British Open and Scottish, just kind of boosts my confidence. And when I'm in America, I always see people's friends and family go and support them, and I don't really have that. So it's nice to come back here and have lots of people supporting me.

Q. You've spoken a lot about playing in America now and how distant it is, I'm sure it was a goal of yours to get on the LPGA Tour, which you are now. Is it everything you expected? What is kind of the biggest challenge, the biggest difference apart from the travel?
GEORGIA HALL: Golf courses, the way they set them up is a lot harder. The pins are a lot harder. Obviously the players, you know, I've met a lot of good friends this year. And obviously jet lag and traveling has made a lot of difference to me. I think I played the same amount of events that I did already in July as I did the whole of last year. So I'm getting used to it, but it's a lot of fun, and I love playing golf and I love kind of competing. That keeps me going.

Q. Georgia, you were still an essentially LET player when you got into the Solheim Cup last year. How difficult is that going to be for someone to do that next year given the state of the tour at the moment?
GEORGIA HALL: To play on the European Tour?

Q. For an LET player to get in the Solheim Cup just playing on the LET Tour.
GEORGIA HALL: Yeah. I mean I think the European Tour is getting much stronger. We've got three new events, and you know, I feel I'm a member of the LET this year because I love playing on the European Tour and that's what I thought is my goal, and I have a lot of friends on the European Tour and I'm playing in the Spanish events in a couple of months. So I love to support the tour and I think that's going to be noticed a lot next year.

Q. Georgia, mentioning what Laura was mentioning before, playing next week. How much are you looking forward to that ^ and what sort of inspiration has she been for you?
GEORGIA HALL: Yeah. I remember growing up watching her in Solheims and British Opens, and she's such an amazing person to look up to, and she's a great golfer and still hits the ball a mile. And yeah, I'm really looking forward to playing with her next week at Gleneagles, and that's where the Solheim will be next year. So I look forward to seeing the golf course because I've never seen it before. Yeah, hopefully we can do pretty well. It's a links golf as well again, so that's another reason why I'm playing it.

Q. Last week, Scotland, you kind of were on the periphery. I didn't get to see much of you play. I heard what you said, you were getting a little frustrated. Any difference from what you picked up there to where you are now? Is there anything you've been working on?
GEORGIA HALL: Yeah. Well, the first two days are completely different to last two. First two days was lovely. I mean you could have been playing not on a links golf course because there was literally no weather to compete with. And then Saturday the wind blows. It's really come to me to play in the wind. So I played well then. And then Sunday, yeah, some putts just didn't drop. I know a lot of people say that, but I was hitting the ball quite close and they were just skimming the edges. I thought I putted quite well. I hope some putts will drop for me this week, but I played Gullane like six years ago and the British girls amateur, so it's nice to go back to that little village and it's good memories for me.

Q. And what about here? Have you played here much before?
GEORGIA HALL: Never. It's my first time. But I haven't gotten to a practice round till few months ago. I wasn't going to come up here. I was just going to arrive on Monday and see how it goes.

Q. Can you tell us who you work with on your golf game, your coaches and whether you have more than just one coach? And how has that affected you now that you're both in America, playing America?
GEORGIA HALL: Yeah. Obviously I'm not in England hardly ever. I'm probably here one week out of the month, two at the most. But I still have the same coach from Woburn, so I see him maybe once every three months. I'm still kind of the same and try and make sure my basics are right. And I've got like my bag and Harry just kind of check things when I'm practicing, and I think a lot about the basics right, and my course management is good. Then I just carry on doing what I'm doing.

Q. You mentioned you're a bit superstitious. Can you tell us anything else other than not coming here when you could have had practice rounds a few months ago?
GEORGIA HALL: Yeah. Even though maybe -- well, I'm actually quite happy I didn't come here two months ago because I heard that the golf course was really burnt out and it's running a lot, so then I would have kind of been shocked when I came here on Monday. So that was a good thing. But the reason why I play well it's just when my head's in the right place. So it's always just thinking in the back of my head that I didn't go to Kingsbarns last year, but I did this year. It's more important to me for my head to be in a good place than actually having a practice round two months ago.

Q. I remember the last event that was held here there was a big temptation to leave the driver in the bag. And you mentioned course management before. Do you think that will play a big part as to who may be the overall winner this week, just how club selection is important?
GEORGIA HALL: Yeah. I think definitely I won't be hitting loads of drivers. I think there's some holes where I want to carry some bunkers I'll be hitting a driver. I've got three-iron in the bag and I think that's probably the main component to my game this week. I played with Tom Lehman like two weeks ago, and he won here, ^ and after he just said lay up short of the bunkers on the tee, so I'm going to listen to his advice and see if it works.

Q. Just an extension on that, I saw your tweet today. It was quite inspirational. You're on a panel with about four, five major champions. Can you just expand on what the inspirational fact, do you chat with them a lot about winning?
GEORGIA HALL: Yeah. Whoever I play with that day, I try and ask them because they've done it all. They've been there and won majors. So any advice I can get from them I definitely listen to. I played with Gary last year two weeks before the and he gave me some advice on putting. So hopefully that will work. Yeah, I'm very happy I've got the 3-iron in the bag. I think I'm going to use that off the tee quite a lot.

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