KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

October 7, 2020

Georgia Hall

Aronimink Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We are here with Rolex Rankings No. 29 Georgia Hall. Georgia is competing in her fourth KPMG Women's PGA Championship, her 10th event of the 2020 season with a big win a few weeks ago at the Cambia Portland Classic. You were so excited when you won there in Portland. There were definitely some tears of joy. How much of a relief was it for you to get that second win on the LPGA Tour?

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, to win in the U.S. for the first time was a big success for me. Obviously I was very happy to get my second win. I played really well that week, and I can bring a lot of confidence into the events for the rest of the year now.

THE MODERATOR: You played really well, of course, going into the playoff. Do you take anything more out of it with it being a playoff win, the fact that it wasn't just handed to you after so many holes?

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, I think, yeah, it's my first time experiencing a playoff as a professional, and it's just really like match play. I quite enjoyed that kind of -- the way that it was done. It was definitely interesting. I was a little bit nervous, of course, but I just thought, I've just got to calm my nerves and concentrate on each shot at a time.

THE MODERATOR: While we're out here without fans, without spectators for obvious reasons, it almost felt like we had a little gallery, particularly walking up the second playoff hole with so many players and caddies and volunteers around. What was that experience like, and to have so many of your fellow competitors sticking around to watch you get that win?

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, it was extremely special to have some of my closest friends that play on the Tour watch me and kind of celebrate on the green with me after I won. I'm really thankful to them, obviously, and very happy I've got such close friends. Yeah, there was actually quite a big crowd watching, which is nice, especially when nowadays we don't get the fans. We miss them a lot. So it's nice to get that support going down the final couple of holes.

THE MODERATOR: Now we've got back-to-back English winners on the LPGA Tour with Mel winning last week. How great was it to see her get that breakthrough win? This has to mean a lot when you think for Team England and for Team Europe at the Solheim Cup and then at the Olympics, as well.

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, I don't think two English winners have won back-to-back since 1996, so definitely a long time coming, and it's absolutely great for English golf and English women's golf. Obviously good for Solheim, as well, even though that's quite a way away, still I'm sure that Beanie is watching us all play and taking notes. No, it's great to have two winners so close together.

THE MODERATOR: Now we're here at Aronimink. We've heard "beast," we've heard "monstrosity." I think there's no question this is a long golf course. What are your thoughts after you've finished up your practice round and getting ready to tee it up in competition tomorrow?

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, this is a proper golf course for sure. It's what a major should be. It does seem extremely tough. The greens are actually very hard, as well, not just the golf course is very long. So definitely will be fun out there, and I'm really excited to tee it up tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: You're one of the players out here that knows what it's like to taste major victory. Can you put into words what it means to you to be a major champion?

GEORGIA HALL: I mean, definitely means the world. It's something that I've been practicing for since I started up the game when I was seven, and I think every player out here wants to win a major. For me to win my major at home was extremely special, but I'll be definitely looking and hoping to win a major in the U.S., as well.

Q. Laura Davies is the only English player to win this event. What would it mean to you to join the Dame as a winner of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship?

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, I found that out a couple of days ago actually. I mean, she has won basically everything. Of course it would be an honor to join her. She's such an incredible player. Definitely an idol growing up for me, and such a lovely person. It would be lovely to join her with winning this event.

THE MODERATOR: We heard yesterday she was one of the early players off, bright and early. Have you had the opportunity to play with her and experience what it's like to play a round with Dame Davies?

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, actually we were trying to -- we were partners a couple of years ago in a team event and she was great fun, and also we actually tried to get a practice round together this week but couldn't be done. So yeah, she's a lot of fun. Still can play amazing golf and a great person to know for sure.

Q. You call this a "proper test," especially for a major. I'm wondering if you could expand a little bit on that and what you enjoy most about this golf course.

GEORGIA HALL: I enjoy -- there's actually not many birdie chances out there I don't think, and it's actually extremely windy right now, and if the wind picks up the next couple of days, I think scoring won't be very low for sure. The greens are extremely big. Pace putting is key, I think, this week, as well. I think we're going to have a lot of 30-, 40-, even 50-footers.

For me, I've had maybe a couple of rescues into par-4s, so I'm not quite used to that myself, but it's such a test, and I'm really excited actually to play a hard golf course. We'll see what happens. But definitely it's in fantastic condition and grateful that we can all play this course.

Q. Does it remind you of any other golf course?

GEORGIA HALL: I don't think that I've played a course maybe quite this tough before. I think it's definitely the longest course I've played that I can think of.

Q. How do you practice your pace putting? What's kind of your strategy?

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, I think most of it is definitely feel. Also making sure that you get all the slopes when you're reading the putts because there is definitely -- you can have four or five different slopes on a 40- or 50-footer. Even pace putting from 20 feet just on the putting green, I try and hit one ball just past the other ball to really get the feel for that. But I think that's the main thing with pace putting, just feeling it and trying to get it in a couple foot around the hole.

Q. Have you gotten better at that with age, or has pace always been pretty natural for you?

GEORGIA HALL: I would say I'm fairly good at pace putting. I think it can come quite natural, even though I think these greens will be tough for me to judge. But yeah, I've had great preparation coming into the event and done a lot of putting and chipping around the greens, so yeah, I'm excited to get going.

Q. What's the best part of your game right now since you obviously just won?

GEORGIA HALL: That's a good question. I think my driving is pretty good. I'm pretty comfortable with that at the moment. And probably my pitching I would say. That used to be the weak part of my game, and I've really kind of dialed that in the last month or so. So yeah, I'm excited to tee it up.

Q. I saw you posted a video on your Twitter earlier today of a new partnership you had with a little bit of fun you had with some bloopers on the end of that. Can you tell us about that and just that fun experience?

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, I mean, Schoen Clinic is kind of one of the leading UK clinics, injury clinics in England, and yeah, I'm really grateful to have them on my team and it's really good to know if I did get injured or did need something checked, I have such a reliable team that I can go to not too far away from me. Yeah, the video was a lot of fun. They done it really well actually, the video, and I can't actually remember some of the clips that happened, but it is very funny to watch.

Q. It's been 23 years since a British female has won a major on U.S. soil; do you think that the chance that you've won now on U.S. soil gives you more chance to be able to get the win here?

GEORGIA HALL: I think it definitely gives me more confidence now that I've won in the U.S. I didn't know it was that long. Was that maybe Laura? So yeah, definitely gives me a lot more confidence. Obviously the courses are very different here than to the UK. This is a different type of golf course altogether. It really is a beast.

Yeah, I mean, that's definitely one of my goals.

Q. Do you think with all the Brits playing well, is this a new golden age for British women's golf?

GEORGIA HALL: I definitely think so, yeah, and I hope so. There is five or six of us now that are on the LPGA Tour playing really good golf, and I think it's great for Solheim coming up the next year, as well, to have a lot of strong players playing well, not only from English but also from Europe.

Q. How competitive is it amongst you? I know you're friends, but when you're at it and you're watching someone else from your homeland winning, what's --

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, you always want your friends to do well. I'm obviously closer to some English girls than others, like normal really, but yeah, I think it's great that obviously me and Mel has won right next door to each other and Charley Bronte has won on the LPGA, as well. I think it's great that we're all doing well and spur each other on, as well. Obviously everyone wants to beat each other, but to have great players from the UK playing well is definitely a bonus.

THE MODERATOR: This is a golf course with a great history on the men's side, and it's something that KPMG and certainly we're seeing it with the AIG Women's Open and the U.S. Women's Open are bringing us to these great venues, but we've seen it here with the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. What does it mean to you to have the opportunity to play at these courses that have such history and to help be part of the group that is blazing the trail on the women's side now?

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, I mean, this is a very special golf course, and KPMG is definitely one of the best well-run events of the year, and I think a lot of players agree with that. We get looked after extremely well, and the condition couldn't be any better out there. I mean, it's set up perfectly, so yeah, definitely KPMG is one of our tournaments that we look forward to every year to playing.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much, Georgia. Good luck this week.