Georgia Hall Charges Up Leaderboard, Breaks Tournament Scoring Record

After shooting a 1-over 72 that saw an early double bogey on Friday it would be hard to imagine walking into the Palos Verdes Golf Club just a day later and setting a tournament scoring record. But that’s only if you’re not Georgia Hall.

The Englishwoman came off the 18^th green with a 9-under 62 on her scorecard Saturday afternoon, having jumped squarely into contention at the DIO Implant LA Open after finishing her second round at T29.

“I knew I was playing really well, and I didn’t have the round I wanted at all yesterday, so I was just trying to stay really patient and I knew that I could take advantage of the front nine,” Hall said after her record third round.

And she certainly did take advantage of the front nine. Hall found an eagle-birdie-eagle sequence on holes 5 through 7 which allowed her to make the turn in 29, which is her lowest nine-hole score and ties the lowest nine-hole score on Tour this season.

“I don't normally write down two, two, three on the scorecard,” Hall said smiling. “They were really good eagles and really got my round going.”

Hall chipped in for her first eagle and managed to hit her next two approach shots within five feet of the pin putting a birdie and her second eagle well within reach. But she tried not to dwell on her success for too long and keep her focus on her next holes.

“I was at 7-under after 9 and I was like, ‘Wow, I’ve never had this before,’” Hall said. “I think I was even 6-under after 7, which was crazy. Just had to forget about the previous holes and really stay focused otherwise I could have just parred in.”

In addition to setting a new tournament 18-hole scoring record, Hall’s 62 is also a career-low, her previous career best being a 9-under 63 at the 2018 Portland Classic where she ultimately finished second.

Hall has seen plenty of early successes in 2023 and has yet to finish outside the top 20. Last Sunday, the 26-year-old went 7-under in the final round of the LPGA Drive On Championship to put herself into a playoff with Celine Boutier. Though Hall could not quite grasp her third win on Tour, the experience gave her a ton of confidence heading into this week.

“I’ve been playing well pretty much all year,” she said. “It really gave me a lot of confidence last week, although I lost in the playoff, I hit some really good shots. Just really pleased with the way I’m playing and just trying to keep it going.”

With another chance at title tomorrow, the key for Hall will be getting off the range for as long as she can.

“It’s been quite full on for me the last couple weeks,” she said. “Late Sunday last week and it's very mentally tough out there. So just really take this afternoon and get away from thinking about golf and be fresh for tomorrow. That’s my priority.

“Conserving my energy off the golf course is very important for me. Just doing normal things really just keeps me calm, and then I get to the golf course and focus on what I need to do.”