“It’s the best I’ve started a season by a long way,” she said. “Usually, my good weeks have come nearer the end of the year, but I’ve turned that trend on its head. I’ve done it through hard work, nothing else, although I was sort of forced into it by an equipment change last year.
“That made me have to spend hours on the range getting it all right and it’s really paid dividends. I’m a better golfer now than before, way better than when I won at Lytham [at the Women’s Open] in 2018. I don’t really have a weakness in my game and the mental side has always been my strength.”
Hall is a rarity in the gilded locker rooms in that her backroom is small to the point of being non-existent. “My coach is Robert Rock [the former DP World Tour professional] but he’s in England and so when I’m on a run like this in the States we don’t see each other,” she said. “As for all the other stuff I like to keep it simple and do it myself.
“It’s working and I can honestly say I’ve never before gone into a US major with this level of self-belief. Yeah, I’d love to have a win under my belt this year, but I shot four-under and seven-under in those final rounds where I finished second, so it wasn’t like I choked or anything. I feel there’s some really low rounds in there and hopefully they can come out here this week.”
The contentious switch of venues from the beloved Mission Hills in Palm Springs to The Club In Carlton Woods, just outside Houston, has not vexed Hall as greatly as some of her colleagues. “I loved that place, of course, it was iconic, but it probably had to happen with the need for the date change and the new sponsors,” she said. “I played well in Palm Springs last year [tied 13th] but had never done much there before and maybe this will suit my game more, as you have to think your way around.
