I write from England to tell you about one of the best golfing moments of my life thus far. Last week I played in the Uniqa Ladies Austrian Open and managed to post my best finish yet on the Ladies European tour. I started off the week sharing the lead with defending champ Caroline Hedwall, but despite some solid rounds on the weekend she ended up running away from the field with the Championship in hand. I had a bit of a rough ball striking day in the wind on Sunday, but thanks to the work I ve been putting into my short game I managed to keep myself in the mix. The best moment of the week however, was actually my final shot! I was coming up to the 18th in the final group on the course, and I really wanted to finish off my tournament on a high note by giving myself a good chance at birdie; and the 18th, a mid length par 5 made unreachable by a strong head wind, was very kind to me. I had 87 meters to a flag that was tucked on the back right edge of the green right by the water hazard. My caddie and I agreed that I was better off taking a little more club to rule out the chance of my ball spinning from the back section and into the water, so I picked my club, took aim and hit. The ball bounced right on target and I couldn’t quite believe my eyes as I watched it skip past the pin and spin back into the hole! The 18th green was packed and they all erupted, and quite frankly so did I! I remember talking to Karrie Webb about her Kraft Nabisco winning shot when I played alongside her as a National Squad member a few years ago; and whilst I didn t jump into my caddies arms quite like Karrie did, I still savored every step I took toward the green to go collect my ball. It was a great way to cap off the week and I learned a lot about my own self and psyche during those 3 tournament days. Hopefully with the help of my support team I can develop and hone those lessons going into the next few events and keep improving as the season carries on. Alison Whitaker is a former National Squad member and current member of Golf Australia&aposs Rookie Professional Program. She is currently playing on the Ladies European Tour.
Author: Alison Whitaker / Golf Australia