KirkwoodGolf: European No. 1 Georgia Hall joins star-studded Canberra Classic field.

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

European No. 1 Georgia Hall joins star-studded Canberra Classic field.





She's been dubbed the next big thing in golf and now European No. 1 Georgia Hall is looking to add the Canberra Classic title to her glistening resume.

The 21-year-old already looms as one of the players to beat in a star-studded field that will contest the Canberra Classic at Royal Canberra Golf Club on February 9-11.

Australian Ladies Professional Golf boss Karen Lunn has been overwhelmed by the sheer quality of the field with a host of top-line players to battle for $150,000 in prizemoney.

Solheim Cup stars Melissa Reid and Caroline Hedwall have also joined the line-up, and Lunn is expecting even more drawcards to sign on for the event in the next 10 days.

Englishwoman Hall left behind a sparkling amateur career to make the leap to the professional scene and she has already started to carve out a remarkable legacy.
"When she was a junior as a 16 or 17-year-old she was touted as the next big thing," Lunn said.

"It took her a while to find her feet when she turned pro but she really had that breakthrough when she won the Vic Open in 2016, that was her first big professional win. Then [she] went on to have a pretty decent year after that.
"Obviously 2017 has been her breakout year, finishing third in the British Open, playing the Solheim Cup, winning the money list in Europe by a country mile so to speak.”

"She is certainly recognised in golfing circles as one of the new really big things in women's golf. You're going to be seeing her name right up there."

Hall claimed the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit title in emphatic fashion as she won more than double the amount of prizemoney of second-placed Spaniard Carlota Ciganda.
The Bournemouth product stood out at Solheim Cup level for Europe against the United States and her remarkable rise was acknowledged by her peers when she won the players' player of the year gong.

Hall [England], Reid [England], Hedwall [Sweden] and Aditi Ashok [India] join European Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew in a field already featuring former world beaters Laura Davies and Jiyai Shin.

Katherine Kirk and Sarah Jane Smith will lead the host nation's raid on the tournament returning from a five-year hiatus.
"We certainly weren't expecting to have the quality of field that we're going to end up getting," Lunn said.
"Obviously having the date the week before the women's Australian Open has really worked well for us.
"A lot of the girls are coming out of the European and American winter and want to have a bit of a hit out so we've just got to take advantage of that and hopefully it will work in our favour.
"We want this event to not just be back for one year but to be around for a while. If it can be successful in year one then hopefully that will stand us in good stead for the future."

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