Victory feels ‘too good to be true’ for Georgia

England’s Georgia Hall admitted it felt “too good to be true” after producing a brilliant final round to win her first major title in the Ricoh Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham.

Hall, who had never previously tasted victory on the Ladies’ European Tour or LPGA Tour, carded six birdies in a closing 67 to finish on 17 under par, two shots ahead of Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum.

The 22-year-old from Bournemouth is just the fifth British winner of a major and only the third home winner of the event since it achieved that status in 2001, following in the footsteps of Karen Stupples (2004) and Catriona Matthew (2009).

And fittingly, she did so with her father Wayne acting as her caddie, the former two-handicapper having named his daughter in honour of Nick Faldo’s Masters triumph in Augusta, Georgia, in 1996.

Hall also fought back tears at the presentation ceremony as she dedicated the victory to her grandfather, saying: “There’s someone very special at home that’s going through a bad time so this is for you grandad.”

Phatlum began the day with a one-shot lead over Hall and made a brilliant start with four birdies in the first six holes to double her advantage, even though Hall also birdied the first, fourth and sixth.

“And when Phatlum found sand off the tee on the 17th and compounded the error by threeputting for a double bogey, Hall had a three-shot lead and could afford her only bogey on the 18th.

“It’s too good to be true really,” Hall told Sky Sports. “I don’t think it’s all sunk in for me. It was my goal when I was nine years old on the putting green.

“I promised myself not to get ahead of myself and feel any emotions, which is sometimes hard because I wanted to take it all in.”

Picture: Getty. Georgia Hall looks at the trophy.