Hello followers and faithful wackos! I just began another full season on the LPGA and although it didn’t start on the best note, I’m really optimistic and excited about the year ahead. It’s been awhile since I’ve done a blog but I’ll give you a quick summary on how I got back on the LPGA.

I played a full year on the Symetra Tour in 2016 where the top 10 get their full LPGA card for the following year. I made 18 out of 20 cuts with back to back wins (one of them I won a Kia too!), 3 runner up finishes, qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open and a whole lot of consistent golf. I finished 3rd on the season end money list and it was truly my best year as a professional golfer so far.

For the first tournament of this year, the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic, I had the first tee time (7:05am) on Thursday of the tournament. Warmed up mostly in the dark and I was ready to go! I had Travis on the bag, my In-Laws; Stan and Margaret Stoelting and good friend, Michelle Marx there to root me on. First hole I hit what I thought was a perfect hybrid to find out I had too much club and flew the green. Maybe adrenaline, maybe a miss-club. 2 holes later I three-putt for a bogey. 2 over after 3 to start my year. Whoops! I proceeded to birdie 3 holes before making the turn until a bad swing caused a bogey on 12. Even par with 5 holes to play. Come to a long up-hill par 3 and mistake after mistake with a 3 putt on top left me with a triple bogey. All of that hard work washed down the drain. I stayed with my game and birdied 2 holes coming in but faltered on the last with a bogey. I shot 2 over for my first round but still felt positive about my game. I had a few unforced errors and one really bad hole. I still had a great mindset with the second day knowing the course was producing really low scores and I knew that I could do the same.

Unfortunately, I became very ill with what I think was food poisoning that night at dinner. I was up all night very sick and wasn’t sure how I was going to make it through the second round. Thankfully I had an afternoon tee time, but I was still not doing very well when it was time to play. I have never withdrawn from a tournament and this was the first time in my professional career that I really gave it some thought. I decided to give it a try and fight through it. If anything, this was going to be a good learning experience and see how I can fight through sickness on the golf course. I walked pretty slow to my ball and was hitting the ball about a club less than normal. I was 3 over through 12 holes when I finally managed to make a birdie on 13. This was the first time in about 20 hours that I felt a little less queasy. I made 2 more birdies coming in to shoot even par. After the night I had, I was proud of my round and learned a lot about myself. It was an unfortunate missed cut but I’m still feeling great about my game.

2 years ago when I played my first full season on the LPGA, I got down on myself really early in the year. Travis (my husband/caddie/swing coach) and I have had a lot of conversations on how this year is going to be different. My biggest goal for myself was to be more positive and not let my scores or missed cuts effect me in a negative way. I’m so proud to say that no tears were shed and I was in a great place after my round. Of course I was disappointed but I think keeping a positive outlook is only going to make me a better player.
I’m finally feeling like myself and able to eat full meals now! I’m resting, preparing, and practicing at home for my next event: Australia! I’m giving my Mom a check off of her bucket list and bringing her along with me and hiring a local caddie for the week. I’m looking forward to a fun and successful trip to the Outback.