Five months ago, Georgia Hall held her newborn son Conor for the first time. This week, she is back on one of golf's toughest courses, chasing titles again.
Hall, now 30, returned to Royal Lytham and St Annes Golf Club in England this week — the same place where she made history in 2018. At just 22 years old, with her father Wayne carrying her clubs, she won the AIG Women's Open. She is still the most recent British woman to win a major tournament.
The journey back to competitive golf started unexpectedly. Six weeks after giving birth, Hall was on vacation in Ireland when she stopped at a local driving range. She wasn't sure what to expect.
"I was really excited because I didn't know how I was going to hit it and thought I might top it or something," Hall told BBC Sport. "But I actually hit it pretty good, although there was no rotation at all. I left thinking, 'OK, let's see if I can get back to Lytham.'"
She did more than just return. Hall jumped back onto the Ladies European Tour and made the cut in three consecutive tournaments in France, the Netherlands, and Belgium — impressive performances for anyone, let alone a new mum rebuilding her swing.
Hall got advice from someone who understands exactly what she is attempting. Catriona Matthew, her former Solheim Cup captain, won the Women's Open at Lytham in 2009 — just 11 weeks after giving birth to her daughter Sophie. When Hall asked how she managed it, Matthew offered a simple answer: "Oh, it's a lot easier with the second."
Matthew also told Hall to go easy on herself. "Just as in expecting a little bit less, but not in a bad way," Hall recalled. "If you hit a bad shot, you've been out of it for a year. You've given birth to a human. So it will take some time, basically be patient."
Hall's family is with her on the Fylde coast this week — five-month-old Conor, her parents, and her partner Paul Dunne, a professional golfer who once led the 2015 Open as an amateur and won the 2017 British Masters. The baby boy comes from serious golfing stock.
She has already planned a family photo on the 18th green. "It'll be my new screensaver," Hall said.
As for the tournament itself, Hall knows the odds are long. The remodelled links is playing fast and firm — "Definitely one of the hardest," she called it. In 2018, she finished 17-under-par to win by two shots. But her goal this week is simpler: improve every month and trust the work.
"I'm improving every month and that's just my only goal," Hall said. "I believe that my game's in decent shape and if I can get in the right mentality and hole some decent putts, I think I'll be OK."