It has been a couple of months since I won the AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield and life has started to return to normal. Well, I suppose as normal as things can be because there’s a constant reminder of how things changed from that week.
Now that ‘normality’ has resumed for me, there are still plenty of things that will stay the same. For instance, I’m not going to change the way I am and I’m not going to start booking into five-star hotels to stay in during tournament weeks.
I have mentioned a few times in my past columns how my husband and I have been so fortunate to stay with host families during tournament weeks. We tend to go back to the same families who we have stayed with each year, in each city.
But now there’s an extra piece of baggage that gets carried everywhere. It’s the Women’s Open trophy.
The host families live and breathe every shot during the week, not only when we are staying with them, but for the rest of the year, so it has been very special to be able to share a beverage of their choice out the trophy. These hosts have been a part of my journey in becoming a Major champion. It’s only right that they get to share the fruits of our labour, given they have also shared in the highs and lows over the years.
The last few months have been a real learning curve for me adjusting to life on Tour as a winner. There have been a few more things asked of me at tournaments, and I have needed to manage my time a little better.
The coolest thing I have done is some on-course commentary for ESPN+ at the Walmart Championship, which I enjoyed.
Another thing I have learned is managing the weekly expectations of myself on the course and that every week needs to start with a clean slate.
Sure, it is great to believe that every week I tee it up I can win because I have proved this, but that can only happen if I continue to do the little things well in my routine every week and not be so focused on the outcome of every week on tour.
So, in a sense, the more things have changed the more they have stayed the same.
– This article first appeared in the November 2022 issue of Compleat Golfer magazine.
