Georgia Hall

Georgia Hall says winning the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews would be her greatest achievement in golf.

The 28-year-old won the Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2018, her maiden major victory.

This year’s edition will be staged at the home of golf for just the third time in history, between 21-25 August.

Hall is in the field for this week’s US Women’s Open – the second women’s major of the year – at Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania, but she believes holding aloft the AIG Women’s Open trophy on the Old Course’s 18th green would be the highlight of her career.

She said: If I won [at St Andrews], that's the only thing that would beat my win [in 2018].

“Like if I won the US Open this year, it won't beat my win at Lytham. This would only beat it in my opinion.

“I don't know if I'll ever get a chance to play in another one at St Andrews after this. I don't know when it would come around again.

“I'm not really going to put pressure on myself. [I’m] just [going to] play as well as I can and enjoy being [there] in general, which I will.”

Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa was victorious when St Andrews first hosted the AIG Women’s Open, in 2007.

It returned to the east coast of Scotland in 2013 as American Stacy Lewis produced a barnstorming finish to claim the title.

Hall made her Championship debut that year and shared the Smyth Salver with Lydio Ko as the week's low amateurs.

The Old Course was also the venue for Cameron Smith’s landmark win at The 150th Open in 2022.

Hall knows all about the history that surrounds the famous links and is excited for August’s showpiece.

She said: “I think it will be very special. Obviously being British, it's the most important event of the year always for me, but [it’s] just extra special being at St Andrews, and I think it's one that everyone wants to win a little bit more.

“Just the atmosphere and the town especially. It's just all golfers. I just love [going there] regardless if there's an event on or not.

“I just love being around … the whole golf atmosphere. There's nothing else quite like it.”

There are three more majors to negotiate before Hall can prepare properly for St Andrews, starting with the US Women’s Open at the weekend.

Hall’s best placing in the event was a tie for 34th place in both 2018 and 2022.

She finished T23 in the Chevron Championship – the first major of the year – in April, an event won in convincing style by the preeminent force in women’s golf; Nelly Korda.

The 25-year-old American has been in utterly devastating form, winning six of her last seven events since the turn of the year, and she heads to Pennsylvania an overwhelming favourite to claim a third major title.

And while Hall has major plans of her own, she acknowledges the phenomenal impact Korda’s success has had on women’s golf and women’s sport on the whole.

“She’s such a good player [with a] great mentality,” Hall said of the world number one.

“I think it's just fantastic for the women's game, what she's doing on and off the golf course and the media coverage it's [getting].

“In a way I hope it continues like that because it's just amazing to see. I just can't get my head around it, really, either. Six out of seven is just unbelievable.

“I played in LA a couple weeks ago and she pulled out, and I texted her and just said, ‘thanks for giving us a chance’. I think people are already thinking that.

“But like I say, I think it's just great for the game in general. Although we obviously want to win more than anything, for her to keep winning like she is, it's just doing great things for us anyway; to promote the tournaments and the Tour in general and to make people more aware of where we are this week and what we're doing. It's only going to be a positive.”