Nelly Korda’s dominance ‘great’ for women’s golf – Georgia Hall

Hall is in her seventh season as a member of the LPGA Tour but has opted not to move full-time to the United States.

“I’ll try and do three weeks in a row. I don’t want to do more because that’s tough,” said the 28-year-old.

“The amount of times I finish a round and it’s 5pm in America and everyone is asleep [in the UK]. If you play badly you’re just sat there, you can’t speak to anyone.

“That’s half the mental battle of making sure you’re mentally happy and prepared to go out and play good golf.

“I love being home and love being in the UK, and that’s never going to change.”

Hall is gearing up for next week’s second women’s major of the season, the US Women’s Open, with the PGA Championship following in June before July’s Evian Championship.

But she also has one eye on a return to St Andrews and the Old Course for the AIG Women’s Open from 22-25 August.

She said she was star-struck on her last visit to the course, having been invited to play in a special four-hole ‘Celebration of Champions’ event to mark The Open’s 150th anniversary in 2022.

Hall played in a group with Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Lee Trevino, who have won six Claret Jugs between them.

“I got a call saying that I’m paired with Tiger, and I just could not believe it. I was so nervous,” she added.

“I’m so grateful to the R&A for putting me in that group. It was just a dream of mine.”

Hall’s first visit to the Old Course was in 2013 and she made a sparkling debut on the famed links at the age of 17, winning the Women’s Open Silver Medal as joint best amateur.

“I played solidly that week,” she recalled, having opened with a four-under-par 68.

“I putt the best on links greens in general but I just don’t get to play it a lot. I’m really looking forward to putting on greens that don’t have a lot of slope. You have to hit it firm to the hole.

“And you definitely have to just imagine more shots on this golf course, especially when the wind gets up.

“I hope we don’t have good weather because it’s not showing the golf course at its best. Like any kind of Open, the weather should be slightly British.

“Hopefully we’ll have a bit of wind.”

Hall won the Women’s Open – her only major – at another links course, Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2018, and says if she could add a second title at St Andrews, that would be the ultimate triumph.

“If I won the US Open this year, it won’t beat my win at Lytham,” she said.

“The only thing that would beat that is if I won here.”