Hall hopes for clear sky in Fife at Scottish Open
GEORGIA Hall is hoping to avoid any more extreme weather conditions as the Ladies European Tour returns to action with the ASI Ladies Scottish Open.
Hall was competing the Rose Ladies Series Grand Final at Wentworth on Friday when a wildfire, which had started on Chobham Common and spread to the nearby course, caused play to be suspended.
Tournament organisers hoped to resume play the following day but the Major Incident Command Centre ruled that the course would need to be closed indefinitely and the decision was made to end the Series after the second round.
Hall has since made the long journey north from her home in Bournemouth for this week’s event at the Renaissance Club and was greeted by torrential rain and thunderstorms which led to a major incident being declared in Fife.
Speaking about her experience at Wentworth, the 2018 AIG Women’s Open champion said: “I was halfway down the seventh hole and you could just see so much smoke coming in.
“Wherever you looked it was so orange and there was like black ash just floating all around us, which was very strange, and then obviously we had to evacuate. So it was a shame that we couldn’t finish.
“But I think it was about 20 yards from the actual ninth or 10th tee box, which got extremely close. It was massive. I’ve never seen anything like that before.
“And last night I remember getting back to the hotel and it (rain and lightning) was nonstop. You could see it through the curtain.
“The weather’s been very strange for me the past 10 days, but I’m hoping it stays kind of normal throughout this week for the tournament.”
South Korea’s Mi Jung Hur will not defend her title this week after opting to remain at home due to travel concerns related to coronavirus.
But the field includes world number two Danielle Kang, who is chasing a hat-trick of wins after back-to-back triumphs on the LPGA Tour.
“Due to my win last year and good memories, I looked forward to returning to Scotland this year,” Hur said. “It is definitely sad that I cannot return, especially since I won’t be able to defend my title.
“Although I will be holed up here in Korea, I look forward to watching the event via TV and other media platforms and supporting from afar. Even though I can’t be a part of this great tournament this year, I will definitely go back and repay the fans for their support.”
There was black ash floating all around us