Women’s golf in Britain owes a debt of gratitude to Royal Lytham & St Annes. Nine years after Catriona Matthew lifted the British Open trophy at the Lancashire links Georgia Hall delivered another home victory. Hall is only the third player from her home nation to win this major. She has scope to make the biggest difference, if only by virtue of her youth.

At 22 Hall has the potential to be an inspiring figure for a generation of emerging players. The highest compliment one can pay her Sunday shootout with Pornanong Phatlum is that for long spells it bore an uncanny resemblance to the classic Open Championship battle between Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson at Royal Troon in 2016.

Hall’s closing 67 was sufficient to take the title by two shots. An aggregate of 17 under, stunning in itself on what is regarded as the toughest of the Women’s British Open venues, was achieved by four sub-70 rounds. Phatlum, who had kept pace with Hall from the onset of day four, stumbledto a double-bogey six at the 17th, thereby allowing her rival a three-stroke lead.

Even Hall’s dropped shot at the last proved immaterial; British golf has a new superstar. The next highest Briton at this major, Bronte Law, finished 39th.

“I just told myself to stay calm the whole way round and not to think about anything,” Hall said. “I thought I would cry but no, I’m just over the moon.

“It’s incredible. I had so much support today from all the people backing me and supporting me and cheering my name. I’m just so grateful. I’m so over the moon it’s hard to put into words.

“It was great seeing so many young girls out there watching. If I can be a role model for them, great. It is too good to be true. It was my goal when I was nine to win the British Open. I am so happy.”

A personal message followed. “There’s someone special at home who’s going through a very bad time, so this is for you, Grandad,” said the champion.

Hall, whose father Wayne – he named his daughter in honour of Nick Faldo’s Masters success in Augusta, Georgia, in 1996 – had assumed caddie duties all week, has emerged from humble beginnings in Bournemouth. Like Matthew she is also a former British Ladies Amateur champion.

The order of merit title on the Ladies European Tour last year was the key to taking on the United States-based LPGA Tour this year. The key event transpired 12 months ago; Hall’s third‑place finish at the Women’s British Open, then at Kingsbarns, convinced her she could prevail at this major. In highlighting Hall’s rapid progress she had survived for only 36 holes of the Women’s British Open in 2015 and 2016.

Phatlum barely stopped smiling throughout the tournament. That remained the case even in defeat. The Thai player’s prominence was extraordinary in itself given that seven previous appearances in the major had delivered six missed cuts and a share of 27th place. This marked quite a turnaround.

“Georgia played so amazing today, everything was perfect,” the runner‑up said. “She is from here and everyone was rooting for her. I’m so happy she won. This is going to be a big experience for me. I got very nervous today and didn’t play so well on the back nine.”

The world No 1, Ariya Jutanugarn, signed off with a 69 for a nine-under total and share of fourth. So Yeon Ryu claimed third, at 13 under, after a Sunday 70 which included a triple‑bogey seven at the 3rd. “I think I fought back really, really well and I’m happy to finish top three in this tournament,” Ryu said. “That was one crazy round of golf.”

Yet this was firmly Hall’s day – golf’s coming home.</s>Georgia Hall of England wins Women's British Open for first major title

LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England (AP) — Georgia Hall of England wins Women's British Open for first major title.</s>With her famous win at the Women’s British Open, golfer Georgia Hall became just the third Brit to win the tournament since it became a major in 2001.

The Bournemouth-born golfer beat closest rivals Pornanong Phatlum and Ryu So-yeon to finish with an aggregate score of 17 under.

Hall dedicated the win to her grandfather, saying: 'There’s someone special at home who’s going through a very bad time, so this is for you, granddad.'

'I'd also like to thank my dad for caddying. Thanks for doing everything for me when I was growing up… and to my mum. And to my boyfriend as well for supporting me,' she added.

'It’s incredible. I had so much support today from all the people backing me and supporting me and cheering my name. I’m just so grateful. I’m so over the moon it’s hard to put into words.'

Here is all you need to know about Georgia Hall including who she is, her net worth and her Women’s British Open victory.

Georgia Hall was born in Bournemouth on April 12, 1996.

She was born just two days after pro-golfer Nick Faldo overcame a huge deficit going into the last day of the Masters to win his third Masters at Augusta.

According to Sky Sports, Hall’s name was inspired by Faldo’s sensational victory—the Masters takes place in the city of Augusta in the US state Georgia.

Hall took up golf at the age of seven and quickly rose up the junior and amateur ranks. She won the British Girls Championship in 2012 and in 2013 followed that up with the British ladies Amateur Championship.

That same year, Hall represented Team GB at the 2013 Youth Olympic Festival where she won two golds and was part of the European team at the Junior Solheim Cup. Hall made her debut at the Women’s British Open as an amateur in 2013 and finished just outside the top 40.

In 2014, aged 18, Hall turned pro and had a strong start, finishing in the top-20 six times during the 2015 Ladies European Tour and winning her first victory as a professional in February 2016 at the Oates Victorian Open.

The golfer had a disappointing 2016 Women’s British Open but rebuilt and went from strength to strength, posting four back-to-back top-seven finishes on the tour that year.

In 2017, Hall returned to the Women’s British Open to finish in tied-third, a high she matched in the World Ladies Championship. She finished 2017 as the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit winner and Players’ Player of the Year.

Georgia Hall has earned £530,000 from her golf career, according to the Ladies European Tour data.

However, that figure will go up following Hall's Women's British Open victory, for which she will receive £375,000.

Georgia Hall became just the third British woman to win the Women’s British Open major after Karen Stupples’s 2004 and Catriona Matthew’s 2009 victories.

Ahead of the final day, Hall trailed course leader Pornanong Phatlum by just one shot. She got the final day off to a very strong start, scoring a birdie on the par-3 first hole to draw level with the Thai golfer.

It was neck-and-neck over the next several holes with Phatlum birdieing on the second, both repeating the feat on the third before Phatlum pulled ahead in the fifth with a birdie that got her a two-stroke advantage.

However, a bogey, just her second of the whole Championship, on the eighth after a drive into long grass saw Hall move back to just a stroke behind.

On the 13th hole, Hall made a 10-feet birdie to move to 16-under and therefore a share of the lead.

A wobble in the sand on the 14th nearly saw Hall lose all the progress she made on the front nine, but Hall managed to make par. On the 15th, Hall could have had an eagle, but had to settle for a birdie to match Phatlum’s.

On the 17th, Phatlum struggled in the bunker and ended the hole with a double bogey while Hall’s calm par saw the Brit walk to the 18th and final hole with a three-stroke lead over Phatlum.

Phatlum rallied but it was too late and the Thai golfer finished with an aggregate of 15-under and the round at 70. Hall took the safer route on the 18th and ended up signing off with a tap-in bogey, but more importantly 17-under and 67 in the final round.

'It's too good to be true really,' Hall said after her win. 'It was my goal when I was nine - I’d say on the putting green, "this six-footer is for the British Open" and to actually have that, I’m over the moon. I always joked to myself that the first tournament I win would be a major. I saved my first for the best.'</s>LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England (AP) — Georgia Hall of England wins Women's British Open for first major title.</s>Aug 5 (Reuters) - Georgia Hall became the fourth Englishwoman major champion when she carded a closing five-under-par 67 to clinch victory at the Ricoh Women's British Open in Lancashire on Sunday.

She stamped her authority with three birdies in a four-hole stretch to beat Thailand's Pornanong Phatlum by two strokes at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.

Cheered on by a large gallery, Hall finished at 17-under 271, becoming the second English player to win the championship after Karen Stupples in 2004.

"I've always joked by saying I haven't really won since turning pro and a major will be my first win and I can't believe it's actually true," the 22-year-old Hall told Golf Channel.

"I told myself just to stay calm the whole way and not think about anything. I thought I'll cry but I think that's going to happen in another couple of hours. Hopefully I'll be alone then."

Hall joined Laura Davies (four), Alison Nicholas and Stupples as women's major winners from England.

She became the first English player of either sex to win a major at Royal Lytham since Tony Jacklin won the 1969 British Open.

The final round quickly turned into a head-to-head duel between Hall and overnight lead Phatlum, after South Korean Ryu So-yeon triple-bogeyed the third hole.

Hall tied for the lead with a 10-foot birdie at the 13th hole, before she and Phatlum both birdied the par-five 15th to remain locked together.

Hall added another birdie at the par-four 16th to take sole possession of the lead, before going three shots ahead when Phatlum double-bogeyed the 17th after driving into a fairway bunker.

The large lead allowed Hall to enjoy the rousing reception she received on her victory march up to the final hole, where a three-putt bogey was academic.

"I was lucky to hold the golf club," she said of her nerves at the last.

"I played really well today and putted so good, so I'm over the moon."

Phatlum, seeking to join compatriot Ariya Jutanugarn (U.S. Women's Open) as a major champion this year, hit a series of loose drives down the stretch.

But a 70 earned her second place on 15 under, with Ryu (70) another two shots back in third. (Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Ken Ferris and Clare Fallon)</s>LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England — Named in honor of a famous Masters victory, Georgia Hall has her hands on one of the big trophies in women's golf at the age of 22.

The Englishwoman reeled in long-time leader Pornanong Phatlum in a gripping final-round duel at Royal Lytham to win the Women's British Open for her first major title on Sunday.

Hull tapped in for a bogey — her first of the day — at the last hole to clinch a two-shot victory over Pornanong. Hall then hugged her playing partner from Thailand before being lifted off her feet by her caddie, father Wayne.

It was fitting that Wayne, a former two-handicapper himself, was on the bag to experience the biggest moment of his daughter's career.

Georgia was born during the 1996 Masters won by English golfer Nick Faldo at Augusta, Georgia. She was named in honor of that victory, which came after Faldo overcame a six-stroke deficit to Greg Norman in the final round.

Twenty-two years later, Hall is the pride of English golf just like Faldo was. And the way Hall kept her composure and kept producing the shots of her life down the stretch, there might be more major titles to come.

Her round of 5-under 67, which included six birdies, saw her finish on 17-under 271.

"I was loving it deep down, hitting the shots under pressure," said Hall, who barely showed any emotions all round. "To get six birdies in the final round of a major is not bad."

Hall, who receives a check of $490,000, became the first English major winner since Karen Stupples won this event in 2004, and the fourth overall along with Laura Davies and Alison Nicholas.

She followed Stupples and Catriona Matthew — in 2009 at Lytham — as the only British winners of the Women's British Open since it achieved major status in 2001.

Roared on under blue skies by the large gallery desperate for a home winner, the 39th-ranked Hall started the day a shot behind Pornanong, who led after the second and third rounds.

From the moment Pornanong curled in a long left-to-right putt at the second hole to answer Hall's 15-foot birdie at the first, it had the makings of a duel in the Lytham sun.

And a two-player race for the year's fourth major was definitely established when both picked up a shot at No. 4 and Pornanong followed Hall in birdying No. 6. That regained a two-shot lead for Pornanong, who had also birdied the par-3 fifth hole.

Hall was always chasing but was given hope when Pornanong bogeyed No. 8 to reduce her lead to one shot. Then, when Hall rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt at No. 13, they were tied for the first time since the first hole.

Hall took the outright lead for the first time in the tournament after a 20-foot putt for birdie at the 16th hole and went down the last with a three-shot lead after Pornanong, ranked No. 97 and also seeking her first major and LPGA title, missed a two-foot putt to make double-bogey at No. 17.

Hall played safe in three-putting from distance in front of Royal Lytham's storied clubhouse and celebrated her first win on the LPGA Tour. She had never won on the Ladies European Tour, either.

"It is too good to be true," Hall said. "It was my goal when I was nine to win the British Open. I am so happy.

"I just had to stay calm and patient. It was very close up to the last two holes and I holed all the putts today."

Ryu So-yeon of South Korea was third on 13 under after a final-round 70.</s>Georgia Hall won her first LPGA event Sunday, and it was also a major title.

The English player thrilled home fans during the final round of the Ricoh Women’s British Open, as she outdueled Thailand's Pornanong Phatlum at Royal Lytham and St. Annes for her first win.

Hall had a 5-under 67 and finished the week at 17 under. That moved her from one shot back to a two-shot victory.

Hall and Phatlum made this a two-horse race from the start as they piled up birdies. Hall opened with birdie, and by the time she made a 20-footer at the 16th, she had six on the day. That mid-range putt earned her the lead as well at 18 under.

She would have it for good, as her lead ballooned to three when Phatlum double-bogeyed the 17th. Phatlum closed in 70 to finish second.</s>(Reuters) - England’s Georgia Hall was born during the 1996 Masters and she produced a Nick Faldo-like performance to win the Ricoh Women’s British Open in Lancashire on Sunday.

Hall was named Georgia in honour of the American state that hosts the Masters, which Faldo won two days after she was born, with a famous final-round 67 that mowed down Greg Norman.

Hall also shot five-under-par 67 on Sunday, playing with the type of relentless consistency for which Faldo was famous and beating Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum by two strokes.

Buoyed up by a supportive overnight text from Tom Lehman, who won the 1996 British Open at Lytham, Hall finished at 17-under 271, becoming the second English player to win the championship after Karen Stupples in 2004.

“I always joked to myself, because I haven’t won a tournament since I turned pro, that the first one I win would be a major. I used to say that and I’ve actually done it now,” Hall told reporters.

“I don’t know what it is, but it is more enjoyable and fun the bigger the competition is.

“I was very confident going into this event from last year (equal third) and I love links golf and I’m playing in England, which is very rare.”

Hall joined Laura Davies, who won four, Alison Nicholas and Stupples as women’s major winners from England.

She became the first English player of either sex to win a major at Royal Lytham since Tony Jacklin won the 1969 British Open.

But it was communication with another Lytham winner, American Lehman, that helped to calm her.

“He texted me last night and said: ‘Go Georgia, hit the fairways and greens and make your fair share of putts, I’m pulling for you.’ It’s great to have him as a friend,” Hall said.

The final round quickly turned into a head-to-head duel between Hall and overnight leader Phatlum, after South Korean Ryu So-yeon triple-bogeyed the third hole.

Hall tied for the lead with a 10-foot birdie at the 13th hole, before she and Phatlum both birdied the par-five 15th to remain locked together.

Hall added another birdie at the par-four 16th to take sole possession of the lead, before going three shots ahead when Phatlum double-bogeyed the 17th after driving into a fairway bunker.

The large lead allowed Hall to enjoy the rousing reception she received on her victory march up to the final hole, where a three-putt bogey was academic.

“I was lucky to hold the golf club,” she said of the nerves that suddenly made their presence felt at the last.

“I was more nervous yesterday than today. I didn’t feel much until the 18th. I played some really good golf and holed a lot of crucial putts.”

Phatlum, seeking to join compatriot Ariya Jutanugarn (U.S. Women’s Open) as a major champion this year, hit a series of loose drives down the stretch.

But a 70 earned her second place on 15 under, with Ryu (70) another two shots back in third.

“She played so amazing today, everything is perfect,” said a gracious Phatlum.

“She is from here and everyone is rooting for her. I’m so happy she won.”</s>LYTHAM ST ANNES, United Kingdom: England's Georgia Hall used to imagine as a young girl she was putting to win the British Open - on Sunday (Aug 5) that fantasy became a reality as she showed grit and a steely nerve to win her first major at Royal Lytham and St Annes.

With her father Wayne acting as her caddie, the 22-year-old came from a shot behind overnight leader Pornanong Phatlum of Thailand to fire a sublime final round of five-under 67 for a 17 under par total and claim a first major title and the US$490,000 winner's cheque.

Over the 72 holes, Hall made only three bogeys - she could well afford the one at the last - and her six birdie final round secured a two-shot victory over Pornanong.



"This is too good to be true," she said.

"When I was nine years old I used to say 'this for the British Open' and to have that experience today was just unbelievable."

It was also an emotional win as her grandfather is not well.

Struggling to hold back the tears at the presentation, she said: "This is for you Grandad."

Hall, whose first name is in honour of the American state that hosts the Masters at Augusta, had only won twice previously since turning professional in 2014, as a rookie on the Ladies European Tour Access Series and at the 2016 Victorian Open in Australia.

The final day turned out to be a two-horse race between the pair at the back of the field, Hall and Pornanong.

The Thai 28-year-old was two ahead after four birdies in the first six holes and still one ahead at the turn.

But Hall staged a great back nine charge with three birdies in four holes from the 13th, the 25-footer at the 16th earning the lead for the first time.

Hall is the first British winner since Scotland's Catriona Matthew, also at Lytham in 2009, and joins Laura Davies, who has four, Alison Nicholas (1997 US Women's Open) and Karen Stupples (2004 British Open) as English winners of a women's major.

"It was almost like matchplay at the end, and I enjoy that sort of golf," said Hall.

"I played in the Solheim Cup (Europe v the USA) and loved it.

"Being able to hit these shots under pressure felt so good and to have six birdies in the final round of a major isn't bad is it?

"It's wonderful to join the list of British major winners."

Hall said that being in contention for last year's title had stood her in good stead for Sunday's climax.

"I finished third last year and that experience definitely helped today.

"I was nervous, but in control. I just loved every minute."

Pornanong, leader at halfway and after 54 holes, did little wrong, but was finally overtaken by Hall's late great run and only then started making costly errors.

A double-bogey at the 17th finally ended her challenge.

Pornanong closed with a 70 for 15 under par with South Korea's Ryu So-yeon in third place on 13 under after a 70 that was blighted by a triple-bogey seven at the third.

Hall was able to enjoy the walk down the 18th - by then she had a three-shot lead and she played for a safe bogey.

Atthaya Thitikul was the only amateur to make the cut, and her reward was to win the Smyth Salver. The Thai 15-year-old closed with 77 for 12 over par.</s>LYTHAM ST ANNES (AFP) - England's Georgia Hall showed grit and a steely nerve to win the Women's British Open with a superb final round of five under par 67 at Royal Lytham and St Annes on Sunday (Aug 5).

With her father Wayne acting as her caddie, the 22-year-old came from a shot behind overnight leader Thailand's Pornanong Phatlum to post a 17 under par total and claim a first major title and the US$490,000 winner's cheque.

Over the 72 holes, Hall made only three bogeys - she could well afford the one at the last - and her six-birdie final round secured a two-shot victory over Pornanong.

Hall, whose first name is in honour of the American state that hosts the Masters at Augusta, had only won twice previously since turning professional in 2014, as a rookie on the Ladies European Tour Access Series and at the 2016 Victorian Open in Australia.

The final day turned out to be a two horse race between the pair at the back of the field, Hall and Pornanong.

The Thai 28-year-old was two ahead after four birdies in the first six holes and still one ahead at the turn.

But Hall staged a great back nine charge with three birdies in four holes from the 13th, the 25-footer at the 16th earning the lead for the first time.

Hall is the first British winner since Scotland's Catriona Matthew, also at Lytham in 2009, and joins Laura Davies, who has four, Alison Nicholas (1997 US Women's Open) and Karen Stupples (2004 British Open) as English winners of a women's major.

Pornanong, leader at halfway and after 54 holes, did little wrong, but was finally overtaken by Hall's late great run and only then started making costly errors.

A double-bogey at the 17th finally ended her challenge.

Pornanong closed with a 70 for 15 under par with South Korea's Ryu So-yeon in third place on 13 under after a 70 that was blighted by a triple-bogey seven at the third.

Hall, joint third at The Open in Kingsbarns in Scotland last year, was able to enjoy the walk down the 18th - by then she had a three-shot lead and she played for a safe bogey.

Atthaya Thitikul was the only amateur to make the cut, and her reward was to win the Smyth Salver.

The Thai 15-year-old closed with 77 for 12 over par.
Englishwoman Georgia Hall wins the 2018 Women's British Open golf championship.