Business as usual for Georgia Hall ahead of first major since British Open triumph
The problem with career-changing wins is they have the propensity to change the person as well. Georgia Hall is acutely aware of this as she heads into the first major since she lifted the Women’s British Open title last month.
“I don’t care if I win 10 of these things, it won’t alter me,” Hall told Telegraph Sport. “I’ve seen it happen to other people after they achieved this or that, but, in my opinion, everyone is the same whatever they’ve done, and I can assure you, it won’t ever happen to be me.”
Hall’s declaration was made with a tone of utter certainty. The 22-year-old revealed that “life has been pretty crazy, a whirlwind” for the last five weeks, but when she has shut the door, she has remained the same Georgia.
“I’ve been asked what has changed in my life since the British but away from the course, apart from a few more people recognising me and coming up for autographs and selfies, away from the course nothing has changed in my life and me being exactly who I was before,” she said. “And I’m happy with that. I don’t ever want it to change.”
The challenge to stay grounded could very soon be complicated still further. Hall is one of the favourites at the Evian Championship, in the high-market French spa town, and that is not just because of her heroics in Lytham, where she became the first English female winner of a major in 14 years or because she finished 10th on her Evian debut 12 months ago.
By coming second on the LPGA Tour in Oregon two weeks ago, Hall showed there was no Open hangover. Indeed, it was her mission to avoid resting on any Lytham laurels.
“I came away from the British and I was determined not to just relax or anything like that,” she said. “So I was very happy with that performance in Portland and it was more important to me than people probably realised. People might wonder ‘why does she need validation like that?’, but to me I always try and test myself and almost go against myself by thinking, ‘yeah, so what? now do well in this event and then the next’.
“So it kind of backed up what I did at Lytham and I do feel confident going into the Evian, because I know I’ve got it in me now. And the course suits me. I learned a lot from last year and I definitely feel I can win and make it back-to-back majors.”
The rankings back up Hall’s optimism. At No 8 in the world she is the first female from her country ever to reach the top 10 since the standings were incepted 12 years ago.
“I am proud of that, but it’s funny. I’m not sure if I feel like a top 10 player yet. It’s slowly sinking in, I guess,” she said.
“My goal at the start of the year was to get into the top 20, so to be up there now with the season not even yet over is special.
“It’s made me reset my goals for the rest of the year, like looking to create my history and things. You know I’m not miles from world No 1 and I watched Justin [Rose] getting to No 1 last weekend. I couldn’t help thinking what if England had the world No 1 in both the men’s and women’s game. How incredible would that be?”
Incredible, no doubt, and do not dismiss it as fantasyland. If Hall can replicate her putting performance from the Lancashire links then she could easily prevail on the shores of Lake Geneva on Sunday and then she would be in tantalisingly distance of top spot. Certainly, the putter stayed hot in Portland.
“I think I had five birdies in a row at one stage and when I holed another 40-footer, Harry [Tyrrell, her boyfriend and caddie] turned to me and said ‘What are you doing? You’re scaring me now’,” Hall said with a laugh. “My dad [Wayne] was on the bag at Lytham so Harry hadn’t seen me putt like that at the British Open, so it did spook him a bit.
“It’s very enjoyable when that happens and I think I’m at the stage where I can just enjoy it, let it happen and not think ‘oh, this has to end soon’.
Harry will be at her side when she plays in Thursday's first round in the company of world Nos 1 and 2, Korea’s Sung Hyun Park and Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn, with Wayne ducking out of the limelight.
“Dad’s just been back in Bournemouth, walking the dog, doing normal things,” Hall said. “He doesn’t like all the fuss and just wants me to get on with it. And I’m the same, really.”
