Ricoh Women's Open Day Two Wrap

Georgia Hall has continued with her fine form from yesterday at Royal Lytham St Annes and in doing so, has put herself in a prime position to contend at this year’s Ricoh Women’s British Open. However, it is Pornanong Phatlum that finds herself in pole position at the halfway stage with a one-stroke advantage over the Brit. 

Hall finished with yet another blemish-free round that included four birdies. For Hall, it is the first time that she has gone two rounds without a bogey setting a new personal record. When asked how long she has gone without a bogey before she replied: “Just one round, I think. One round and like four or five holes. So I'm happy to not get bogey, yeah.”

Last year at Kingsbarns, Hall found herself in a similar position only to fall short to eventually finish in third place. A more relaxed approach to her situation is clearly on show. Hall told us that: “I was in a similar position last year, so I know what it feels like. So I'm still pretty calm and not really feeling much at the moment, which is good. I don't want to feel anything. So I'm just enjoying it, and hopefully, I can play well tomorrow.”

Given the way that she has carried herself so far during this tournament, it is clear to see that she certainly enjoying herself despite the weight of British hopes that she could possibly claim the trophy on Sunday. 

Large crowds gathered to witness her round. Hanging within the galleries is something that I always love to do. Here, you can see everything, but most of all, you can hear everything. Her birdie on hole 15 was met with plenty of enthusiasm from the home crowd. 

“Wow...she’s great isn’t she!” 

It was a common thing that I heard during my stroll. For Hall, it appears to be something that she thrives on. For Georgia, this level of home support is massively important to her. 

“I think it just makes me happy that I see so many people supporting me,” Hall said. “ I don't feel really any pressure at all. I just go out there and try and commit to my shot, and when it happens, it happens. I try not to worry about too much and hopefully sink some putts.”

One shot ahead of the British hopeful is Pornanong Phatlum. The Thai has certainly impressed and show a stunning level of consistency following two rounds of 67. Like Hall, Phatlum is also yet to drop a single shot throughout her time at Royal Lytham St Annes. 

When asked about the secret to her consistency, Phatlum stated that “I feel very happy right now. I think the key this week for me, like I'm very confident on my game a lot this week. So I just try to play my game and try to plan every day get away from the bunker so I can hit like every shot like very good on the round.”

It is a plan that is certainly working for the Thai who hasn’t seen her coach for a while. Phatlum hasn’t seen her coach for a year but had plenty of encouragement when they eventaully caught up. “He said right now doing pretty good, and yeah, that's on your swing and just concentrate every shot when you hit the ball.”

The leader at the halfway stage of the Ricoh Women’s British Open may not have had a good time in the past. Only making one cut in her previous attempts, she feels right at home in Lytham. With consistency being the key to success, both Phatlum and Hall are certainly making a strong case for themselves as they both aim for their first major trophy.

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