AMAZINGCRE PORTLAND CLASSIC

September 13, 2022

Georgia Hall

Columbia Edgewater Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, here we are. Welcome to the media center and virtual media center. I'm here with Georgia Hall who's the defending champion at this course of the AmazingCre Portland Classic.

Thank you so much for being here. How does it feel to be back here at Columbia Edgewater?

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, a lot of great memories coming back. It's been a couple years since coming back to this golf club, and obviously it's one of my favorite courses to play, so I really look forward to playing nine holes this afternoon. The course looks in really good shape.

THE MODERATOR: Why is it one of your favorite courses to play I'm wondering?

GEORGIA HALL: Well, because I won, and also I think it's just really pretty golf course. Some reachable par-5s and it's just really nice golf course to play.

Reminds me a little bit of back home in England.

THE MODERATOR: Last year that we were here, obviously had some fires, some smoke, and you only got to play 54 holes; 72 holes this year. Do you feel you're prepared to play all the way this time?

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, definitely. I mean, it was a lot of disruption a couple years ago, and really proud of how mentally tough I was only playing I think nine holes practice round last time I won.

So, yeah, I know the course really well. I look forward to playing four rounds of golf hopefully.

THE MODERATOR: That was your last win, so being back here, obviously you said a lot memories. Can you take us back to what you remember from that playoff and just that win in general?

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah. Back when it was around COVID, so they had no leaderboards and I didn't know where I was at all, even on the last hole.

So I bogeyed the last and I still didn't even know I had a chance. It was a little bit disappointing to know if I par'd it I would've won outright, so I had to kind of mentally get myself back together to play in the playoff against Ashleigh Buhai, who has obviously had a great year this year winning the British Open.

Really happy to win in that playoff obviously after two holes, and to win in the America for the first time was really big and one of my goals for that year.

THE MODERATOR: How do you enjoy just Portland in general and this whole area? I know out love the club, but just coming back here in general.

GEORGIA HALL: No, I really like coming back here obviously. I love going to the Nike and Adidas store. A lot of players enjoy that. And I know a good few people around here and friends, so it's nice to kind of catch up.

Obviously my first event back since Europe, so this is the one I wanted to start off back in the U.S.

THE MODERATOR: Speaking of which, you had a really successful trip over there in Europe. What was going really well out there for you and how do you keep that momentum as you return to the States?

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, it's my favorite time of the year. I finished third in Ireland, which was my last event, so really good, consistent. Evian top 10 again and the Scottish and British. So I love being back home and playing in front of the fans.

Playing four in a row mentally was fairly tiring, so I took a good month off before coming back here just to kind of prepare as well best I could mentally and physically.

And ready for another three-, four-week stretch.

Q. What do you think are the most important parts of one's game? What has to click for someone to win out here?

GEORGIA HALL: I think you never win a tournament without putting well. I think putting is definitely No. 1.

I putted really well when I won here. The LPGA has such -- so many good players nowadays. You can play really well and obviously still not win or come close.

I think that's what's great about this tour. There is so much diversity among all of us. I think you have to maybe have a little bit of luck on your side here or there as well.

Mentally being very patient, especially on a course like this.

Q. Why putting in particular?

GEORGIA HALL: I think you can miss greens and get up and down and holing those par putts, six, ten foot, is key, and it really keeps the momentum going for the rest of the round.

Q. When you get to a course like Columbia Edgewater, do you tailor parts of your game to what this course will allow you to do or not allow you to do?

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, I think this course is playing fairly soft and it's quite short as well. Some par-5s are reachable, so you're going to have a lot of birdie chances normally.

So I think just work a little bit more on my putting. I think everyone is going to hit a lot of greens. It's just if you hole those putts.

Q. (Regarding fantastic greens.) (Indiscernible.)

GEORGIA HALL: Fantastic greens? Yeah, they're really good. Poana I think, and fairly tricky to read. Sneaky slopes in them as well.

Definitely, like I said, have to putt well round here. It's going to play fairly soft I think, so it can play fairly easier than previous years.

THE MODERATOR: I have one more question. As this tournament is one of the longest events on tour.

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Nonmajor. Just tell me how it feels to be a part of like that tradition of this long-running event that so many players love.

GEORGIA HALL: Yeah, history is amazing, right? It is what makes golf so special as well. All credit to AmazingCre to jump in as title sponsor this year. All the players love coming back to this event and taking part, and hopefully I look forward to playing this event every year until I retire. Yeah, very honored to be back here.