By Rob Cole
This time last year Lydia Hall was contemplating her future after 17 years as a professional player on the Ladies European Tour.
A poor 2023 campaign left her pondering retirement, but a great Christmas and a much-needed holiday in Bali convinced her to carry on. It has proved to be a good decision.
A six shot victory in Dubbo in March in a NSW Open qualifying event not only gave her a confidence boost, but also earned her a A$50,000 winner’s purse. Then she won again last week in the Duntryleague qualifying event for the 2025 Women’s New South Wales Open.
“In the women’s game, it’s so hard to keep going financially. I was really close to giving up in November 2024,”
said Hall, who can now look forward to playing in the main event at Wollongong Golf Club Resort in March.
“If you’re not making cuts and not playing well, it obviously becomes a lot harder. So, from that point of view, I’m 36, haven’t got a home anywhere yet so all of those thoughts came into my mind at the end of the season.
“It’s not just your professional life, but your personal life as well. You can’t help but ask yourself, ‘can I continue going?’
“There are all these young girls coming out who are taller, stronger and hitting it further. But something inside of me knew just to keep going, keep pushing, there are better things around the corner.”
MEET ME MARCH
Featured next week is Welsh Pro Golfer Lydia Hall who currently competes on the LET
Lydia took up golf at the age of 12 spending several years playing County golf and representing Wales at every age level as an amateur. She turned pro in 2007. @Southerndowngc pic.twitter.com/wA4BAKgIYn— Glamorgan Ladies GA (@GlamLadiesGolf) March 20, 2021
The highlight of her career came in 2012 when she won the British Masters and she played in her 250th Ladies European Tour event at the Italian Open in June. Even so, she has been forced to scratch a living throughout almost the entirety of her career.
“Even when I won on the LET I wasn’t financially stable. And winning on the Access Tour gave me virtually nothing,” she added.
“On the women’s tour, obviously there are the five majors in which you can make decent money if you play well. But you have to get there first.
“The average LET purse is around 300,000 Euros for the majority of the season. So when you’re up close to 80,000 Euros expenses a year, you’ve got to be making at least double that to be getting ahead at all.
“So it’s not an easy gig, you have to get the results or it becomes a huge pressure situation on your life. If that happens, your game goes backwards, you’re not making money and if you’re not careful it spirals down and out of control quickly.
“So to come out the other side and get a couple of wins is great.”
Having taken up golf at the age of 12, Hall was coached by John Peters and went on to represent Wales at every age level from 2001 as an amateur. She then turned her passion into her profession by successfully joining the professional ranks on the Ladies European Tour in 2007.
As well as winning the British Masters in 2012, she became PGA Welsh champion in 2016 and WPGA International Challenge Champion a year later.
With 22 top 10 finishes on the LET and seven British Opens, she is one of the modern day greats of women’s golf in Wales.
She stormed to victory in the Duntryleague qualifier with a commanding performance, finishing 11-under par across two rounds (64 and 69) to book her spot in next year’s Ford Women’s NSW Open at Wollongong Golf Club.
She started hot, sinking three birdies early, but hit a couple of speed bumps with bogeys on 4 and 6. Unfazed, she bounced back with birdies on 7 and 8, and despite another bogey on 10, she kept her composure to finish strong with birdies on 15 and 16.
“I was obviously super pleased, really happy that I got it across the line and had a big lead going into the final day,” said the 36-year-old Hall.
“That’s always a challenge in itself. I managed to steady the ship through the middle part of the round after a couple of dodgy putts.
“I was a little bit scratchy off the tee, but I managed to get it back in play using three wood and other options.
And yeah, a lot of birdies – so that always helps the scorecard.”
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Playing alongside Claire Shin for the third straight day and her partner Amy Walsh made the win even more memorable.
“Claire’s just so calm and even-keeled, nothing phases her, which is great for her future. And playing with Amy – that’s the first time we’ve ever played a tournament round together, so that was an experience in itself,” she added.
“I’m really excited to have secured my spot in the NSW Open, and my Order of Merit position on the WPGA should get me into the other two events as well. I’ve got a really exciting few months ahead.”
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