Women’s British Open: Family focus was the key for Georgia Hall

Georgia Hall has said she was spurred on to victory at yesterday’s Women’s British Open by thoughts of her sick grandfather at home.

A stunning 67 gave the 22-year-old victory by two shots at Royal Lytham.

“Life takes a different perspective when someone in your family’s not very well,” said Hall, who had her father as caddie. “That made me more focused. If I got too happy, I’d be like ‘I’m doing it for my granddad’. I spoke to him last night and he was crying on the phone, saying he was so proud of me.”

Hall, who became the first Brit to win the Open since Catriona Matthew in 2009, has set her sights on becoming a multiple major winner. But the Bournemouth-born player said any future success could not be better than this.

“It’s just the British Open,” she said of a tournament she dreamt about winning with six-foot putts in practice as a child. “I feel so differently about it, thousands of people cheering my name. This is the big trophy for me to win.”

Christened Georgia in honour of the state in which Nick Faldo won the Masters in the week she was born, she is only the third British winner of the Open since it became a major in 2001.