Georgia Hall canters to Aramco Saudi Ladies International title at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club

A solid 71 from Georgia Hall was enough to allow the England star to canter to the Aramco Saudi Ladies International title on Sunday.

The 2018 Open Championship winner at Royal Lytham & St Annes had a bit of a score to settle in Saudi Arabia as she missed out on claiming her seventh Ladies European Tour title here in 2020, missing out to Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen in a play-off at the first extra hole at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City by the Red Sea.

Back to the present and she settled it in style.

Her name was pretty much etched on the trophy well before she teed off for the final round as she held an overnight lead of five strokes thanks to a domineering display on the first three days.

And she cooly held her nerve over the final 18 holes to stick another trophy in the cabinet alongside two Solheim Cups and that Open triumph.

Hall maintained that five-stroke advantage when she holed out on the 18th, with Dubai-based Czech star Kristyna Napoleaova and Johanna Gustavsson settling for a share of second back on six-under.

A whole host of LET and international stars peppered the top 15 as Pedersen took fourth spot this time around. Spain’s Carlota Ciganda, American Kelly Whaley, Solheim Cup star Anna Nordqvist, Netherland’s Anne Van Dam and Hannah Burke of England were all in the top 15 but well short of Hall.

Nestled among them was Dubai’s German wunderkind Chiara Noja, whose 72-hole one-over took her to a share of 13th — not bad for a 16-year-old who only turned professional after last year’s Dubai Moonlight Classic.

It was a tremendous show of cool and class from Hall as she rattled off three more birdies on her first four holes to make the journey to the title even more comfortable and even rode a mid-round wobble to birdie the 17th and take the acclaim with a solid par on the 18th.

Napoleaova and Gustavsson bettered her round by one stroke while Pedersen struck a 67 — with seven birdies and a solitary bogey — her opening-round 77 putting paid to her hopes. But Hall was well out of reach while her closest competitor overnight — Nordqvist — struggled to a 74.

Leader board

1 Georgia Hall (ENG) -11

2 Kristyna Napoleaova (CZE) -6

2 Johanna Gustavsson (SWE) -6

4 Emily Kristine Pedersen (DEN) -5

5 Carlota Ciganda (ESP) -4

6 Kelly Whaley (USA) -3

6 Stephanie Kyriacou (AUS) -3

6 Anna Nordqvist (SWE) -3

9 Anne Van Dam (NED) -2

10 Sophie Witt (GER) Par

10 Angel Yin (USA) Par

10 Nicole Garcia (RSA) Par

13 Sofie Bringner (SWE) +1

13 Elia Folch (ESP) +1

13 Hannah Burke (ENG) +1

13 Chiara Noja (GER) +1