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HSBC WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

February 26, 2019

Georgia Hall

Republic of Singapore

KRISTEN YOON: Welcome to the HSBC Women's World Championship here at Sentosa Golf Club. I am Kristen Yoon with LPGA Communications.

Very excited to be here with world No. 10 on the Rolex Rankings, Georgia Hall, who became a Rolex first-time winner with her win, her major victory last year, at the Women's British Open.

Georgia.

GEORGIA HALL: Hello.

KRISTEN YOON: Welcome to Singapore. This is your second time here at the event. How have you enjoyed Singapore and how have you liked the golf course?

GEORGIA HALL: It's really nice here. Good food, good weather. I haven't been to the course yet this week, but I remember it from last year and it's quite tricky in places. Greens are pretty fast, and there's some interesting par 5s.

So I look forward to playing nine holes this afternoon and get back out there.

KRISTEN YOON: I heard you had a fun trip this morning, if you can tell us a little bit about your morning.

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, there's a few of us went to visit at orangoutangs and have breakfast with them. So that was pretty cool. There's like a couple of baby ones and yeah, they are sweet. They are just like eating their breakfast with us and they are really cute.

KRISTEN YOON: This is your second year on Tour. What a year you had as a rookie. You were able to represent your country at the UL International Crown. You were the first English woman to win a major since 2004, and several Top-10 finishes.

Can you tell us about your year and all those different accomplishments, being voted Sportswoman of the Year, as well. How does that change your outlook as a professional?

GEORGIA HALL: The year went by pretty quick, but yeah to get that win at the British Open was incredible, and it took a bit of the pressure off for me.

I had some really good results, as well, just before and after that. I think yeah, really the key this year is I would like to win in America, especially, and yeah, I think I learnt a lot last year, the courses -- every course was the first time I played being a rookie.

So this year, I know what ones to leave out and what ones I really like and the best places to stay. I think all that really helps with your preparation going into the event.

KRISTEN YOON: Great. We look forward to that.

Q. Why are there in your opinion so many good British players right now; you're the first to win a major since Karen Stupples.
GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, I think since Karen (Stupples), there was a bit of a break, but now me, Bronte, Charley, we all kind of grew up together and we're battling against each other and spurring each other on. I think that really helped.

Now we kind of turned pro at similar times, and yeah, I think it's great that it's like three or four of us out here at the same time and hopefully that can encourage young girls coming through to the game to also be on the LPGA in future years.

Q. Do you compete at each tournament --
GEORGIA HALL: Not really. We're good friends, as well, and obviously we like to see each other do well and we all kind of -- me, Bronte and Charley, I feel we've had good years on the LPGA so far. I think we're going to spend probably the next ten years playing together.

Q. Is it the fact that you watch other players like Bronte and Charley competing against you, and you're friends obviously, or is it in your training?
GEORGIA HALL: I was with England Sport from 10 to 18 so quite a long time. Yeah, Charley didn't really do any of it. She was just kind of playing in individual events.

But I always, like I said, the English Girls and Amateur British Girls', amateur events, she was always there so we were always competing against each other.

And also Bronte was in the squad the same time as me. So yeah, we -- I don't really think about competing with them when I come to LPGA events. I try to win every event I go to.

Q. What would you say was helpful on the squad?
GEORGIA HALL: I think they helped me abroad quite a bit, the European girls, European Ladies. We went as a team. I think that was good.

We never really got a chance to go abroad until we were 14, 15 years old, so we got to see different grass, different conditions, different weather. So I think that was the main cause for when we get on to the LPGA that we can adapt quite easily.

Q. What about the teaching pros?
GEORGIA HALL: I think girls have different opinions on that, but for me, not really, didn't really do anything for me.

Q. Who was your teaching pro?
GEORGIA HALL: Daniel Grieve at Woburn. Been with him for about three years. I take bits from what he said and obviously my dad does loads of practice with me and obviously Harry caddies for me, and then also I video my swing quite a lot. So it's just taking bits from what you need, I think.

Q. Last year when you won the British Open, your dad wore the same socks every day and he believed that was good luck. He's very superstitious. Do we have to worry that Harry might wear the same socks over the course of the next four days?
GEORGIA HALL: Well, now that you've put it in my head -- if I do good the first round, I might tell him to keep the same ones on. Maybe. But definitely throw them away at the end of the week.

Q. Quick question on the new rule with the flag; does that affect you in any way?
GEORGIA HALL: Not really. I think over 23, I'll keep it in just for saving time, but yeah, anywhere inside that, I'll definitely still take it out. I think it changes the way you look at the green because if you're five, six in, I get focused on just flagstick, and I think it will point me towards the hole more instead of aiming two foot right, so I'll take it out.

Q. In the off-season, where do you play golf just to relax on your own?
GEORGIA HALL: Obviously I tend to take a bit of time off, but if I were going to play golf, I'd play with my mom and it's a good place to practise, as well. We have quite a few short game areas and ranges and it's quite quiet, as well, so you can really put a lot of practise in in one or two hours. It's good.

Q. Going back to the question about superstitions. If your dad has his socks, do you have any?
GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, I have quite a few I think.

Q. Could you just list them, please.
GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, so I have to mark -- I've marked the ball the same way ever since I can remember which is three dots beside Titleist and my initials in the middle.

Every one's got to be the same colour, so, red.

And then before I tee off -- this is quite weird. I have to, so count my golf clubs to make sure it's 14 but I have to touch every one, twice.

I use a marker, just like a penny or something, so I don't think that's really superstitious. I don't really mind on that one. I don't know if there's anymore.

I like to have my tees in the same pocket and glove and stuff like that.

I can't change my shoes during the week, my golf shoes. They have got to be the same, even if it's the same model, it's got to be the same ones because I feel that they might feel different.

KRISTEN YOON: That's quite a lot.

Q. Now that you're a major champion, you won very early it, and you surprised yourself how good your game was. What specifically is different about you mentally in 2019, confidence-wise? What would we notice about you?
GEORGIA HALL: That's a good question. To be honest, me winning still hasn't sunk in at all. It's still, when you say it, I don't -- I still don't believe I have, even though I know I have, but I still don't believe it because it's such -- it's my dream, my only dream, really, growing up. So it's still strange.

So because of that, I think I'm still slightly the same person and the way I think. But if I am playing bad on a hole or I'm struggling, I do say to myself, like, "Georgia, you won the British Open, and you've done that," which means I can kind of make two birdies now.

So it comes back to my mind after thinking, how do I do this, if I adapt myself.

Q. What's your goal for this tournament?
GEORGIA HALL: My goal? Obviously I'd love to win it but I think my last few rounds, I had some really good rounds and then I had some poor rounds that kind of got me out of the tournament.

So I think my main thing is just consistency with four rounds, not having -- not throwing a bad round in there I think is going to be important this week, because it's quite a tough golf course, as well. I think I've worked on putting quite a bit, as well. So those are my games, I think.

I think it's important to have small goals and your end goals get there, not just focus on the end goal.

Q. What else are you looking forward to this tournament?
GEORGIA HALL: This tournament? Outside of it?

So Harry said to me, for a nice meal on the bay -- I think on top of the building, I forget what it's called, but he was thinking of fun times there. I just wanted to go and see that on Friday night. That's kind of the big thing to look forward to outside of golf.

Q. You were at the airport yesterday?
GEORGIA HALL: I said, where does the water go -- like the water -- I don't know where it goes. It's massive and it just falls down, I don't know where it goes. I thought it was really cool, really good, and I'll be happy to get some good pictures. It's nice to go to the airport and see something out of the ordinary.

KRISTEN YOON: You talked about having smaller goals. It being a Solheim Cup year, how much of that is on your mind when you are playing week-to-week?

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, Solheim is kind of one of my favorite moments in my career what I played it. So I can't wait already for this year, being at Gleneagles and Katrina being captain. I think it all goes so well together.

Yeah, of course I do think about it, but I just want to kind of play well every tournament and think about that event, not get too far ahead of myself. That's definitely going to be one of the best times this year, hopefully, and if I'm in the team.

KRISTEN YOON: Any others goals that you wouldn't mind sharing with us, other than winning in the States and making the Solheim Cup team?

GEORGIA HALL: I think I'm really going to target the majors, as well, because in previous years, I've kind of took them as just any event, but I think at the ANA, I'm going to miss the Kia just to prepare for it.

I think a little bit more preparation for the majors to perform a little bit better in them, especially like the U.S. Open, and obviously defending my title at the British Open is going to be a big one for me.

Q. Given how big social media is and how much of the players are on Twitter, on Instagram, do you sometimes feel this pressure to post a photo or what you're doing or who you are as a person?
GEORGIA HALL: No, not at all. I'm like the complete opposite. If I wasn't in golf, I wouldn't have any of it.

So yeah, I mean, it's great for people to know what I'm doing, and if I play this week and how I finish in a tournament, I think it's good for people who want to follow me. So I post about golf quite a lot.

But yeah, I think a lot of social media sometimes does more harm than good to people, and it makes, like especially women, think that they are not good enough, especially like me, as well. I could look at it sometimes and think these people -- yeah, it's not -- I don't think it's good but for golf I think it's good.

Q. Playing in this hot weather, what will you do specifically differently to cope?
GEORGIA HALL: With the heat? Actually we're not very good with the heat, us English, or British.

A lot of sun creme, and then I normally like ice, which is quite good; a wet towel around my neck, that does really well.

And I think with the grips, the golf clubs, they do get quite like slippery, so just to kind of like clean them every night, which we never normally do but last week and this week I think is very important to keep a grip on the hands.

Q. Just with water?
GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, get a towel, scrub it down.

KRISTEN YOON: Thank you so much, Georgia, and good luck this week.

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