Nobody had higher expectations coming into Final Stage this week than the darling of Team Europe in the Solheim Cup, Georgia Hall. However, her swing went awry on Wednesday in the first-round and she posted a 5-over, 77 and was tied for 133rd place (out of 166 players).
“That was the worst round I played all year,” admitted Hall on Friday after a 5-under, 67 to climb all the way into the top 20. “I watched video after the round and my swing was completely off. I’m back to normal now. I’m playing well so I’m looking forward to the next two days.”
Hall, 21, is by far the highest ranked player in the field this week at No. 41 in the world according to the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.
The first-round 77 was particularly surprising considering Hall had a fantastic year on the Ladies European Tour. She leads the Order of Merit by over 200,000 euros with seven top 10’s in nine starts. Don’t forget that she also finished in a tie for third at the Ricoh Women’s British Open.
Hall also had a brilliant 2016 season on the LET, finishing fourth on the Order of Merit. Many thought she’d attempt Q-School in 2016, but she didn’t quite feel ready.
“100 percent, the time was right now to come over,” said Hall, who has made 14 starts on the LPGA through her LET status. “I didn’t feel like I was ready even though I played really well. I wanted to improve more on the LET and didn’t want to rush anything. Now I feel like I’m ready to push for an LPGA card.
Hall turned professional three years ago as an 18-year-old. As an amateur, she just concentrated on winning for England. It wasn’t until she was 15 that she started to have thoughts about the LPGA.
The highlight of Hall’s 2017 was the Solheim Cup.
“I thought it (Solheim) would be amazing, but I didn’t realize it would be that good,” said Hall. “We’re a family now, I’ll always remember my partners like Anna (Nordqvist), Catriona (Matthew) and Charley (Hull). There is no other week like that one and I can’t wait for the next one.”
Hall went 2-3-0 and was the only player on either side to play in all five matches. She proved to many around the golf world that she was ready for the next step.
What did she prove to herself?
“I proved that I can play against the best players in the world,” said Hall. “I thought I’d be more nervous than I was, but I was quite calm and I was happy about that. I managed to sink some crucial putts when they mattered, which is great.”
Part of the reason why she was able to keep so calm at Solheim Cup and this week after a rocky start is because she considers her mind the strongest part of her game.
“I’m very independent on the course, I’ve never copied anyone else, I don’t copy other swings or anything like that,” said Hall. “I don’t copy warm ups, I just do exactly what I want to do. That has been a big key for me the last couple years. A lot of players do try to model their games after someone else, but to me, I’m just the best at being myself.”
A lot has been written about Hall over the last six months, but what you may not know is that she loves rap music. While she never listens to music while practicing, she’s a big Travis Scott fan.
People in England are already big fans of Hall and her fan base will only multiply if she can secure her LPGA card.
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