Georgia Hall reveals St. Andrews is “favorite place, like ever,” in strong spot early at Women’s Open

Georgia Hall shot a 1-under 71 at St. Andrews to move into the top 10 after 18 holes in the AIG Women’s Open.

She finished the round with a big boost after making an eagle on the ninth hole.

Either way, Hall has a lot of love for St. Andrews, and she’s been vocal about her passion for the birthplace of golf.

“This is my favorite place ever,” Hall said. “I like it more than home. I really enjoy being here and I try to make the most of this opportunity.”

This is not her first time playing at St. Andrews.

She last played on this historic course at the 150th British Open during the R&A’s Celebration of Champions, playing alongside Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods and Lee Trevino.

“I hope to find a place here one day,” she said. “Every day is actually sad because each day I get to come here and play is gone. I don’t know when I’ll be here next, or if I’ll ever play. I’m just really enjoying it.”

Hall won the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2018 and knows what it takes to win a major championship.

Thursday’s round was a great start to her week.

Hall had two bogeys on the back nine but got back on track on the front nine, with birdies on the first and fifth being huge and then finishing with an eagle was incredible for her confidence.

St. Andrews is already on a roll, with Hall one of 14 women currently playing under par.

“It was definitely the toughest conditions I’ve ever played in,” Hall said. “I was glad it wasn’t raining. I had to think about where the wind was actually going and I couldn’t even read the greens. It was probably the windiest I’ve ever played in. It was a real battle mentally. It was a real battle.”

But Hall loves playing golf in these conditions – the LGPA often plays in the US so doesn’t get a true links test but gets to do so this week – and it goes back to why she loves St Andrews so much.

“I want it to stay that way. I don’t think there are many players who would agree with me. You don’t get a chance to play like this very often. This is natural, raw golf,” she said.

She was pleased with the course setup on Thursday because the course conditions prevented play from being halted due to the R&A’s concerns about 40 mph winds.

“I’m glad we didn’t have to stop play,” Hall said. “Whether it was good or bad, I love those conditions. This is a true Women’s Open and I believe it should be like this every day. It’s part of battling the weather and I just tried to make the best of it. I think the R&A was smart to slow the greens down a little bit to keep the ball rolling.”

Hall should be proud of her 1-under 71, which puts her in the lead despite the leaders all tied at 4 under. If the former British Women’s Open champion can maintain her consistency, it could be a big week for her.

She will tee off at 8:10 a.m. ET on Friday along with Rose Chan, who is at even par, and Ayaka Furue, who was three over par after the first round.

Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Her Instagram account is @golf_girl_sl.