Georgia Hall's trust is currently at an all-time high. Credit: The Telegraph/Christopher Pledger
Georgia Hall has never been more confident ahead of the season's first major tournament and believes English golfers should be just as optimistic about this week's Chevron Championship.
Indeed, Hall is so enamored with her form and that of her Solheim Cup mates that she's ready to make a bold prediction.
“I think we will have a better team than the Americans by the time we play in Spain, even on paper,” Hall, 27, told Telegraph Sport. «We haven't beaten the US three times in a row, but I'd say we'll be favorites.»
Five months and five majors to go before that two-year Costa del Sol scandal — the week immediately before the Ryder Cup in Rome — and Hall, the world No. 10, is determined to make her ranking even more impressive.
“My goal is to get into world #1,” she said. “It's achievable. I just need to keep moving in the same direction. Less than a year ago, I went beyond the top 30 and now I'm in the top 10. I'm first on the money list [LPGA Tour], first on the CME [Tour points] race, and I'm more comfortable than ever this time of year.»
Satisfaction is written on every score sheet for the Bournemouth golfer. In six starts in 2023, her worst finish is 14th. Over the past three weeks in Hawaii last weekend in Hawaii, they were runner-up several times and then finished in sixth place.
'My goal is to be number one in the world', says Hall. Photo: Getty Images/Sean M. Huffy
«This is the best start to the season I've had in a long time,» she said. “Usually my good weeks are towards the end of the year, but I turned this trend on its head. I achieved this through hard work, nothing else, although last year I was forced to this change of equipment.
“It made me spend several hours getting everything right and it really paid off. I'm a better golfer now than I used to be, a lot better than when I won the Leatham [Women's Open] in 2018. I really don't have any weaknesses in my game and the psychological side has always been my strength.» /p>
Hall is a rarity in gilded dressing rooms, as her back room is so small it simply doesn't exist. «My coach is Robert Rock [former professional DP World Tour], but he's in England, so when I'm running around the States like that, we don't see each other,» she said. “As for everything else, I prefer to keep things simple and I do it myself.
“It works, and I can honestly say that I have never entered the US with such self-confidence before. Yes, I would love to win this year, but in the last rounds I shot under four and under seven, so I didn't choke or anything like that. I feel like there are very low rounds and hopefully they will show up here this week.”
The controversial move of the venue from beloved Mission Hills in Palm Springs to a club in Carlton Woods, just outside of Houston, didn't piss off Hall as much as it did some of her co-stars. “Of course I loved the place, it was iconic, but it probably had to be due to the need for a date change and new sponsors,” she said. “I played well in Palm Springs last year [tied 13th], but I've never done much there before, and maybe that's better for my game because you have to think your way.
Hall thinks Europe is well positioned for an unprecedented third consecutive victory over the US in the Solheim Cup. Photo: Getty Images/Sean M. Huffy
“You can't relax on any hole and the green is hard. I played with the same stick for eight years but changed to Bettinardi and it was one of the best areas of my game this year. It's also expected to be windy, and I love to play in the wind.»
Hall appears to be all set to at least start her most notable challenge to date in a major tournament within the US. Hall has two more top threes in her home major and has placed sixth and eighth in the last two Evian Championships in France.
«There's no reason why I shouldn't fight,» said Hall. “Someone said that a Brit hasn’t won a major US tournament in 26 years [since Alison Nicholas at the US Women’s Open in 1997] and it would be great to fix that.
“And it's not just me, because Charlie [Hull] plays very well too. She also moved up in the rankings [from 31st to 16th in six months]. It's funny because we've known each other since we were 10 and it seems like we always play well at the same time. Between us, we should have a good chance.”
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