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AIG WOMEN’S BRITISH OPENJuly 30, 2019Georgia HallMilton Keynes, United Kingdom THE MODERATOR: We welcome defending Women's British Open Champion, Georgia Hall. How has your year been? GEORGIA HALL: It's gone by very quickly. Been busy mostly. I'm excited to be back and to be able to be in England, I think is really cool, so I look forward to it. THE MODERATOR: You really relished your year; what have been the highlights? GEORGIA HALL: I think mostly just when I arrived after I won it, I think it's so nice that so many players came up to me and said congratulations and took time out to say well done. I think that's really nice, coming back. And also, just to play my events with an extra bit of confidence and to be able to say that I won a major I think is very special. THE MODERATOR: Are you recognised a little bit more sort of out and about? Do you have any good examples of that? GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, definitely recognised a bit more in America. When I was on holiday, quite funny, I got recognised when I was sunbathing, sort of strange. But it's nice that so many people watched that day and to be able to congratulate me. THE MODERATOR: As you come back to the club here, seeing your photo on every poster, does that feel like pressure or does that feel amazing? GEORGIA HALL: Very good Photoshop I think. It's really cool. And you know, to come back and like I said, it's been a year, I think it's very special for my face to be in a lot of places, a bit strange at first, but I like it. It's nice. THE MODERATOR: And you're very familiar with Woburn because you've had some coaching here. GEORGIA HALL: I used to. Probably like a few months ago, but I haven't been here at all. I haven't played the course at all this year because last time it was here three or four years ago, I practised quite a bit and I didn't do very well. So I'm going to take the same approach as last year and just play it the week of the tournament. THE MODERATOR: And last year you got great advice the week before from Tom Lehman. Have you spoken to him this year? GEORGIA HALL: He walked nine holes with me last year, just like a general, chat really. He walked nine holes with me today, as well. He's a very good friend, so it's nice for us to catch up. Q. Where were you on holiday to be recognised whilst you were sunbathing? GEORGIA HALL: Barbados. Q. Recently? GEORGIA HALL: December. After-season holiday, which is nice. I try to do that to take your mind off golf. Q. Who is on the bag this week? GEORGIA HALL: My dad. Q. And is this the first time since last year when he caddied for you? GEORGIA HALL: No. He caddied in ANA, which was the first major of the year this year. Yeah, he's always on the bag, the British Open, so it's very nice for him to be back and to have my mom here, as well. Q. And has he packed the same socks he wore last year? GEORGIA HALL: Doubt it. Probably in the bin, I don't know. I didn't want to ask him that. Q. Has your dad picked up on confidence over the years just as you have? GEORGIA HALL: In me? Q. Well, in how he's delivering advice, etc. GEORGIA HALL: No, I think he's always kind of confident with what he was saying to me. But I think the last few weeks, he's been training to be like ready for this event, and we get on very well on and off the golf course. It's just nice to -- like he's always been with me playing golf since I started, so it's just kind of normal for us, I'd say. Q. So you're training, you're saying, going on lots of walks? GEORGIA HALL: Well, he loves walking. When I was away the last couple weeks, he said he's been going on a lot of walks because obviously you do a lot of walking this week, so yeah. Q. The other thing I was going to ask you, you say that you've enjoyed being introduced as the champion? GEORGIA HALL: Oh, yeah. Q. Just give me a favourite mention of some time that somebody said something that's really stayed with you? GEORGIA HALL: I think obviously the first time that they announced it on the tee I think was pretty special for me. That kind of stood out the most. And I think -- well, I don't know, I think they would announce it on Thursday. So I think that would be very like special, teeing it up, and hearing like "defending champion," because that's kind of a new thing for me. Q. Can you just clarify something you said earlier, is Dan Grieve still coaching you? GEORGIA HALL: No. Probably last two months ago, we parted. Q. And is there a reason for that? GEORGIA HALL: I mean, I've been with, you know, coaching with Dan for probably the last three years. He's a great person and great coach. But I'm a very simple person and a player, and I think things were getting a bit too confusing for me. I'm in my own head, so I just wanted to simplify everything, and it's a lot better without having those voices in my he had. Q. When Graeme McDowell won the U.S. Open, he said it was a relief to get the next one; do you feel the same way, that after the pressure is off, you can start fresh and new page and all that sort of stuff? GEORGIA HALL: No, I obviously want it to go on for a long time, but I'm actually very excited. I don't feel any pressure. It's really nice for me to be home because I've been in the US the whole year. So to me, I've done the hard travelling and now I can enjoy being at home with a home crowd. It's really nice and I think I'm going to get a lot of support, so I look forward to people out there kind of watching me and cheering me on. Q. I take it you're not working with somebody right now? GEORGIA HALL: No, I have -- well, my dad, also, helps me with my swing. Q. What are your simple thoughts for the week? What are the key things that you're thinking about working on? GEORGIA HALL: Trying to think as least as possible, really, about my swing. I got a bit too technical which isn't me at all. I was trying to perfect things too much when my swing's, I think, good on its own. I was trying to be too picky. Just going out there and trying to play golf and not think about a perfect golf shot. Q. What's a moment from Sunday last year at this event that you go back to in your mind most often? GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, obviously the kind of last three or four holes, I watched. I did watch it quite a lot, maybe even before a tournament, to say, when it really mattered, that I holed the putts I needed to. Q. What have been the different pressures this week, playing the Evian last week, back-to-back majors, different preparation? GEORGIA HALL: Not really. I kind of take every tournament the same, anyway. I wouldn't say this -- I mean, this is much more important to me as a person, because it's my home event, and it's the best major in the world in my opinion. Apart from that, no, same preparation. I'm not going to try and work harder. Try and stay fresh for the first round. Q. And how do you feel your profile is in the British sporting perception? Have you felt a difference? GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, difference. Loads and young girls and boys messaging me on social media, saying, "I have taken up the game because I watched you in the British." Yeah, just to see a lot more attention and I think it's done a lot of good, which I didn't realise at the time for golf, and especially women's golf. I think it's got much more recognition. Q. And you went to Wimbledon, didn't you? GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, about three weeks ago. Q. And did that -- was that the first time you had been? GEORGIA HALL: Third. Q. So that would give you an idea of the difference to the previous two occasions. Any examples of what happened there that showed you were a bigger profile there? THE MODERATOR: You were in the Royal Box? GEORGIA HALL: I was last year, but yeah. Yeah, I think it's really nice to go to other sporting events and see how other athletes are under pressure, and I think I go there and also try and learn what they are doing, as well. But I went the same day as Charley, as well, so it was nice to kind of go together. Q. Quite a strong English contingent, the four English players nearly won the UL Crown, and you made a great run at that and it's possible you could all be on the Solheim Cup team. Can you speak to what that week was like at UL Crown and just the strength and team nature of this English group? GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, it's an amazing week for me. I know Charley is the best and also Bronte played with me and Charley, England teams. We're really close-knit and it's nice for us to not have a captain, we could decide amongst ourselves who we are going to play with. With us being such a small country and to come in second to Korea, I think it was, was amazing. You know, I just love teammates like that where it's match play, and you can be a lot more aggressive. It was a lot of fun for us. So having it in England next year I think is going to be a lot of fun. Q. Have you sensed a real source of pride here in the group that you represent? GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, definitely. I think we're all very like strong English people and we get along very well, so of course we want to do the best we can for England and our country. Q. What's the weirdest thing you've done with the trophy, or been asked to do with the trophy? GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, it actually got stolen from my car like two months ago. Q. So that's a replacement trophy? GEORGIA HALL: Not mine, no. THE MODERATOR: Georgia had the replica and it was stolen from her car. Q. And it hasn't been found yet? GEORGIA HALL: No. They probably melted it down. Q. Where was this? Where did it happen? GEORGIA HALL: London. Q. Whereabouts? GEORGIA HALL: Chiswick. Q. Did they break a window? GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, smashed my back window, like 12 o'clock middle of the day, and just took it. Q. And did they know it was in there or was it just chance? GEORGIA HALL: No CCTV. I don't know. I don't know if they knew it was me or not because it was in the box and everything. And I had golf clubs, as well, and they didn't take that. A bit strange. I was going to give it to Michele about an hour later, I wanted to have the name on it because I thought it looked really nice like that so I was giving it to Michele about an hour later, popped in, like an hour or so, and yeah. Q. Did you call the police and insurance and all that sort of stuff? GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, no CCTV. Couldn't find it. Q. What's the insurance job worth on that; do we know? GEORGIA HALL: Just trying to find out at the moment and see if I can get another one. Q. Do you want to enlighten us more? THE MODERATOR: Well, I guess it was a replica trophy. It wasn't the original. It was Georgia's replica. It was a replica trophy, so it will get replaced. The tournament pays for the original replica trophy, and they get either insurance or she'll be reunited. Q. Where is the original? THE MODERATOR: One is kept with the R&A in St. Andrews in the display case, and it's here this week. There might be a semi-other one that you could use, but obviously it's now got the AIG logo on it, so it's been with us for a bit. Q. So you mentioned about women's sport and women's golf becoming more higher profile. How do you feel about becoming the face of women's golf? GEORGIA HALL: I think there's a lot of faces in golf and a lot of great players out there, and you know, Jin Young won last week. I think as many of us can be the face of women's golf is better, but I think for England, you know, it will be great if we can get as much recognition in this country as we can. Q. And what kind of would you say to younger girls, especially, about thinking about getting involved in golf? GEORGIA HALL: I think there's no pressure. Just as long as you enjoy it and have fun, that's the most important, and see if you want to progress from there. But I think there's a lot of easy ways that you can start playing golf. Q. Sorry, I have to go back to the trophy. How did you feel when you got to your car, saw the window smashed? Did you feel depressed? Guilty? Mad? Angry? What were your emotions? GEORGIA HALL: Well, obviously very upset at the time. You know, I was on my own and nothing had happened to me like that before, so I was a little bit like scared. But then, you know, luckily Michele, their office was like 15 minutes, so she came straightaway, and obviously feel a bit silly having it in the car. Maybe I should have took it out. But you know, some things happen like this in life and you can't, you know, just get on with it, I suppose. Q. Where in the car was it? In the trunk or in the boot? GEORGIA HALL: It was in the boot, tinted windows. 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