Georgia Hall won the Women's Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2018, finishing 17-under-par and winning by two shots. Eight years on, she is back at the same course for the 2026 AIG Women's Open — five months after giving birth to her son Conor.

The championship, now in its 50th staging, runs from 29 July to 2 August at the Lancashire links. The prize fund has grown to $10 million, up from the $3.25 million purse Hall collected for her 2018 triumph (AP News). The course measures 6,585 yards and plays to a par of 72 (AP News).

Hall returned to competitive golf in May, roughly three months after Conor's birth in February. She told BBC Sport she intends to be patient this week, reminding herself she has been out of the game for a year and has given birth (BBC Sport).

She sought advice from Catriona Matthew, who knows the territory better than most. Matthew won the Women's Open at Royal Lytham in 2009 — just 11 weeks after giving birth to her daughter Sophie. Matthew told Hall to manage expectations and be patient, noting that returning after a second child was easier than after a first (BBC Sport).

Hall said her game is in decent shape and improving every month, though she described the course as "one of the hardest" she has played, with recent changes making it even tougher. The links has been remodelled and is baked out — fast, firm and fearsome (BBC Sport).

What lingers from her 2018 victory is not the trophy lift but the putts that got her there. Hall said her abiding memory was holing many crucial putts that week. She was lifted into the air by her father on the 18th green after the win (AIG Women's Open).

This time she has arranged for a family photo on that same 18th green, which she said will be her "new screensaver" (BBC Sport). Hall will marry Paul Dunne, Conor's father. Dunne led the 2015 Open Championship as an amateur and beat Rory McIlroy to win the 2017 British Masters title (BBC Sport).

Hall is a five-time European Solheim Cup player and a two-time Ladies European Tour Order of Merit winner (AIG Women's Open). She serves as an AIG Global Ambassador. The 50th edition of the championship features expanded broadcast coverage alongside the increased prize fund (R&A).

For Hall, the week is about measured progress, not instant results. She has been away from the game for a year. The course is harder than the one she conquered in 2018. The advice from Matthew — be patient, manage expectations — is the compass she is following.

Adult tickets for the championship at Royal Lytham start from £27.50, with youth tickets half-priced and children admitted free (AIG Women's Open).