There is no place like home! It had been a long three years since I had played in South Africa on the Sunshine Ladies Tour/Ladies European Tour and oh, how I missed it!
There really is no better feeling than playing on home soil in front of lots of fans supporting you.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic struck I always did my best to get back to play the Investec SA Women’s Open but due to a date change, travel restrictions and now living in the US full time, it was just too difficult to do over the past three years.
I knew this year it was going to be tough to add it into my schedule, with it being my fourth week in a row with quite a bit of travel, having played in Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Singapore the weeks before, but it was something I really wanted to do. I love playing in SA and I feel strongly about players supporting their home events.
Going into the week I knew I would have to manage my time and energy, as I had flown in from Singapore on the Monday, played the pro-am on Tuesday and then got ready for the tournament that started on the Wednesday. It really was a quick turnaround.
Throw in a few media obligations and jet lag, as well the emotion of wanting to win and the expectation from most people thinking I should win, it was going to be a long week mentally and physically. It was helpful having my family around for the week, with my husband Dave on the bag and Doug Wood, my coach, there for a few days to touch up on some things.
I had come off a good two-week run in Asia, having two top 10s, and I had been hitting the ball great but the putter needed some improvement. Luckily for me the putting tweak paid off right away, shooting 29 on my opening nine at Steenberg Golf Club for a first-day 64.
It’s always tough to follow up a low round like that with another one but I managed to do so by shooting 65. Round three was the toughest physically for me as I had caught the gastro bug which was going around. Having been up since 12:30 that night and with not much rest and very little energy it was going to take a lot for me to stay in the tournament.
This is where I feel my mental strength came into play, as all I tried to do was stick to my processes, do my swing thoughts well and not think about the outcome. I literally put one foot in front of the other to get around the course.
Thankfully I got some good rest that night and managed to keep some food down so my energy levels were back for the final round. I went into the day with a four-shot lead and as we know from past experience it’s never easy to play with a big lead.
I leaned on my experience from the British and Australian Open wins by again staying in the moment and just focusing on doing my job well which again meant sticking to my steps, processes and swing thoughts.
Finishing with a 68 and a total of 22 under it was definitely some of the best golf I have ever played.
It was also a bit of a relief because there was such expectation for me to win, so for me to mentally not focus on that was tough because nothing is guaranteed in this game.
But I am proud and honoured to have achieved my goal to hold three national opens [the British Open, the Australian Open and the South African Open] at the same time.
– This column first appeared in the May 2023 issue of Compleat Golfer magazine.
