DORSET star Georgia Hall will celebrate her 18th birthday by turning professional next year, the Daily Echo can today exclusively reveal.

Bournemouth-born Hall, a member at both Remedy Oak and Parkstone, will officially relinquish her amateur status when she turns 18 in April.

Hall has shelved plans to try to win her playing privileges at tour school in Morocco next month and will rely heavily on sponsors’ invitations during her debut season.

The teenager, a keen Cherries follower who lives in Wallisdown, is currently 10th in the world amateur rankings and third in Europe.

Crowned British Amateur champion in June, she will be unable to defend her title and has also surrendered exemption to next year’s British Open at Royal Birkdale, earned after winning the inaugural LGU order of merit.

Hall, named after the American state in which Nick Faldo won the 1996 Masters, competed in her first major – the Kraft Nabisco Championship in California – just days before her 17th birthday.

She passed over an invitation to play in the US Open in favour of representing GB and Ireland in the Vagliano Trophy against Europe, winning her two foursomes matches with Ferndown’s Hayley Davies against Europe.

Hall shared the silver medal with Lydia Ko after finishing tied as leading amateur at the Ricoh Women’s British Open at St Andrews in August before featuring for Europe in the Junior Solheim Cup against America in Colorado.

And she ended this season on a high by finishing as England's leading points scorer in the Home Internationals in Scotland.

Hall, who confirmed her decision to the Daily Echo earlier today, is looking for sponsors to help during her first year and can be contacted on georgiahallgolf@yahoo.com