I cannot wait to get my 2018 season started this week in the Bahamas! Even though I played in two LPGA events in 2017, this is my first tournament as a full member of the LPGA. I have gained valuable experience over the past two years as a professional, but I am sure everything will be on a bigger scale than I have ever experienced before. Which is very exciting!
Playing on the LPGA has been a goal of mine since I was about 15 years old. So when I qualified through Q school in December, I was absolutely ecstatic! My parents were too, they have supported me throughout my career so seeing the hard work payoff is really rewarding.
Here are a couple of pictures of the three of us after the final round and later that evening celebrating with a very nice dinner and then a few drinks to follow! Or a few bevvies as we’d say in Scotland.
After Q school I flew straight to Dubai to play in the final LET event of the year. I flew from Orlando on the Monday and arrived Tuesday afternoon in Dubai. The tournament started on the Wednesday so it was a very quick turnaround. Despite the long flight and the jet lag, I was pleased with how I played.
One of the highlights of the tournament for me was getting to play with Dame Laura Davies in the third round. She is someone I have always admired and followed ever since I can remember. It was also a treat that she shot an amazing round of -6 with nine birdies to shoot up the leaderboard that day. I must admit I was nervous playing with her, but what a great experience and hopefully I get to play with her again soon.
In the end I finished T33 with a nice 68 to finish off my season. After the tournament I stayed on for a few more days with two close friends of mine who came to watch me play. It was a much needed break after a long season and a busy end to the year. We explored Dubai and also Abu Dhabi.
Here are a couple of pictures, the first one taken during the tournament with my two friends spectating in the background. The second one is us on a quad biking adventure through the sand dunes of the desert.
After staying a few extra days in Dubai, I came home and took two more weeks off from golf. It was a much needed break and also a good time to do it as the weather at home was not ideal for golf.
Since then I have been back to practice and enjoying getting ready for the 2018 season. Last week I practiced at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida to put in some final prep for this week. IMG was where I went to finish my high school years so it is always nice to go back as the facilities are fantastic.
Now I must go and continue my preparations for this week. I am extremely excited to get started and I know I will be nervous come the first round on Thursday, but I truly believe that if you learn to deal with nerves you can use them to your advantage. I also have in the back of my mind that at the end of the day whatever happens, I get to play golf for a living so life can never be too bad!
I’m also in the Bahamas… so that’s not too bad either!
