BOURNEMOUTH'S Georgia Hall admitted she had battled through illness and injury on her way to banking one of the biggest pay cheques of her career.

The former Canford Kid, in the midst of her second year on the Ladies' European Tour, finished tied-fifth at the Buick Championship in China on Sunday.

Hall earned more than 16,000 euro as a result while she also rose to fifth in the LET order of merit, with only Beth Allen, Shanshan Feng, Nuria Iturrios and Florentyna Parker above her in the standings.

But the 20-year-old revealed how her superb charge to six-under-par at Shanghai Qizhong Garden Golf had not come easily.

Reflecting on her final two rounds, she said: "I had really bad hay fever on Saturday and didn’t take any tablets. On Sunday, I had bad back pain so I haven’t had a good weekend feeling-wise.

"I’m proud of myself and how I battled through as usually I fall at the tip.

"I played solidly all week and was happy to shoot every round under-par. It was a consistent week, which is rare as sometimes I have a bad round but I didn’t this time."

Hall had been third prior to bogeying the par-four final hole but said she had been "not too disappointed" by slipping back a couple of places.

She added: "The 18th was so hard because it was into the wind. I hit a good drive and then a four-iron slightly too high so my ball was on the front of the green and the pin was at the back.

"I knew I couldn’t get it near the pin with my first putt because there was a massive slope.

"I just knew I would have to hole a 10-foot putt for par, which I didn’t but I’m not too disappointed because I holed a good eight-footer on 17 for birdie."

Hall is due to return to action in the Tipsport Golf Masters in mid-June.