By Keith Jackson (SkySports.com)
After England’s Georgia Hall claimed her maiden major title at the Women’s British Open, we look at her career highlights so far…
Georgia Kelly Hall was born in Bournemouth on April 12, 1996, two days before Sir Nick Faldo pulled off one of the greatest sporting comebacks in history to win his third Masters title over a luckless Greg Norman at Augusta National. Faldo’s famous win in Georgia inspired her name.
After getting into golf from an early age, Hall enjoyed a successful junior and amateur career, winning several prestigious titles including the British Girl’s Championship in 2012, and the British Ladies Amateur Championship at Prestwick the following year.
Hall also had huge success in the Australian Youth Olympics, winning gold in the individual event before picking up her second winner’s medal in the team competition.
She represented Europe at the Junior Solheim Cup in Colorado in 2013, and a year later she lined up alongside Bronte Law and Steph Meadow in the Great Britain and Ireland team at the Curtis Cup.
She was also the leading amateur in the Women’s British Open in 2013 at St Andrews, where she opened with an impressive 68 and went on to finish just outside the top 40 at the Home of Golf.
Hall turned professional shortly after the 2014 Curtis Cup at the age of 18, and she enjoyed an excellent 2015 season on the Ladies European Tour as she missed the cut only once in 12 starts, posting six top-20 finishes with a best of fifth place at the Pilsen Golf Masters.
She started the 2016 season in great form and collected her first professional victory in February, claiming a one-shot win at the Oates Victorian Open over Norwegian duo Nanna Madsen and Marianne Skarpnord.
Hall missed the cut in the 2016 Women’s British Open, but she responded superbly with four consecutive top-seven finishes on the Ladies European Tour, but it was her 2017 campaign in which she became a prominent figure on the world stage.
After not qualifying for the ANA Inspiration, Hall made the cut in the following two majors and then finished a brilliant tied-third in the Women’s British Open at Kingsbarns before earning another top-10 finish in the Evian Championship.
But Hall’s most notable performance of last year was on her full Solheim Cup debut, winning two matches alongside Anna Nordqvist and taking the experienced Paul Creamer to the final hole of their hard-fought singles clash on the final day.
Hall’s consistency throughout the year saw her crowned European No 1, and she then earned her full card for the LPGA Tour when, having won Stage Two of Qualifying School, she held her nerve to finish in the top five of the final stage.
After a solid first half of the year as an LPGA member, Hall earned her first top-10 finish at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic last month, and she has now produced the finest performance of her career to win her maiden major title.
Hall also wowed the fans at Centurion in May alongside Charley Hull, the pair reaching the quarter-finals of the GolfSixes and earning a 1-1 draw with their male English counterparts Eddie Pepperell and Matt Wallace. Hall nailed a 20-foot eagle putt on the final hole to spark wild celebrations, and they went on to humiliate South Africa’s George Coetzee and Haydn Porteous 4-1.
Hall usually has her boyfriend, Harry Tyrrell, on her bag, but she decided to replace him with her father at Royal Lytham, and the move paid off as she claimed a memorable two-shot win and the title of Ricoh Women’s British Open champion.
