Women's Open: British golfer Georgia Hall on overcoming putting yips

English golfer Georgia Hall won the Women's Open in 2018 and has also had a second and third-place finish

English golfer Georgia Hall says she has been working on the mental side of her game before the Women's Open.

The 27-year-old, who won the major at Royal Lytham in 2018, says her putter went cold earlier in the year after a strong start to the season.

"The last few events my putting hasn't been up to standard," she told BBC Sport.

"I started the year putting really well but my tempo has been a little off, so I've worked on the mental side more."

Hall, from Bournemouth, recorded four top-10 finishes in her first five competitions on the LPGA Tour to start 2023.

She finished tied for 12th place at the first women's major of the year, the Chevron Championship at Carlton Woods in Texas in April.

But her form has dipped slightly going into the summer and the former Women's Open champion has missed the cut at two of the three majors since Texas. Her best recent finish has been 30th place.

Hall says a big focus going into this year's AIG Women's Open at Walton Heath has been reigniting her putter.

"I'm trying to see the lines a lot better on the green and just trying to be more comfortable over the ball.

"I have a string line that I use in practice and I just place it where I think the line is and it allows me to visualise where to start the golf ball. It helps me a lot.

"I feel like I've got my tempo back to a place where it's a lot smoother and I'm trying to just let the ball fall in the hole rather than force it in."

'Putting is 90% mental'

Georgia Hall has been focusing on improving her putting after failing to make the cut at two major tournaments this year

Hall believes her putting is trending in the right direction and says she is pleased with how she performed on the greens at the Evian Championship at the end of July where she finished tied 36th.

"I holed a lot of putts and I'm really happy with the improvement," she added.

"On the greens it is 90% mental and I think you really need to be over the ball and feeling like it is going in the cup.

"Especially when you're not feeling confident or seeing the lines it's definitely a lot harder, even if you've got the best putting stroke in the world.

"I think sometimes as a player you can try too much."

'Being close to home makes you enjoy it more'

Hall, who withdrew from the LPGA International Crown team event in May citing a foot injury, says she is also hoping a change of footwear on the course will improve her game especially on and around the greens.

"I've been trying different versions of a new shoe," she said.

"I've had a couple of problems with my footwear so I've been looking for a change and I now I feel like I have something more stable and lightweight, which is really important to feel comfortable and balanced over the ball."

Hall is currently the second-highest ranked English golfer on the LPGA Tour at 28 behind her fellow countrywoman Charley Hull, who is ranked 17th.

The Women's Open at Walton Heath will be Hall's first competition on home soil this year and she says she is feeling confident.

"I played the course a few years ago and it's not a links at all, so not a typical British Open," Hall continued.

"I will have my friends and family supporting me as well because they're only 90 minutes away and that is pretty different for me.

"Being close to home makes you enjoy it more for sure and I've had really good results in this major a first, second and a third placed finish - so I'm really excited to try and add to that."

You can listen to full commentary of the Women's Open on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra from 07:00 BST on Thursday 10 August via BBC Sounds, here.