Q Golf - Official online magazine for Golf Queensland Autumn 2012 | Page 22

g lo Matt Cooper’s B Follow Matt on Twitter: [email protected] Dedication, strategy and a curious mind The first year as a professional golfer is an exciting, thrilling and potentially difficult experience, but when 25-year-old Victorian Stacey Keating reflects on her 2011 rookie year on the Ladies European Tour she knows the positives comfortably outweigh the negatives. She can also consider her success a direct consequence of a dedicated approach. The first sign of a mature head was her decision to pass up the conditional card she had for 2009 and instead continue as an amateur for another 12 months. More experienced at her second Q-School she not only finished fourth, but won a place on the Henderson Rookie Team, providing her with the financial safety blanket of €12,000. Nonetheless, she experienced early nerves. “Definitely,” she says ahead of the 2012 season. “I was a bit tense starting out. The experience of playing for a living, added to being so far from home, plays on your mind. And I probably worried about the technicalities of my swing rather than getting the ball in the hole.” Keating missed four cuts in her first six starts, but she had something valuable in her favour - a fierce work ethic and a backroom team that had created a game plan she trusted. On the other hand, it’s easy to practise at home, less easy on the road. “I know I’m pretty spoiled at home, with 22 Q Golf Online Autumn 2012 the facilities at Victoria Golf Club, and it’s very rare that we get that every week on tour. I know I’m very lucky in Australia.” “I’m 100% committed to my team, and vice versa. It was hard not seeing my coach Steven Giuliano all the time, but he, my fitness coach Scott Williams and my psychologist Jamie Glazier all helped so much, making me strong enough for tour, allowing me to adapt, and giving me great ideas and exercises to use in tournament situations.” One other characteristic stood out in 2011 - Keating’s hunger for improvement. “Yeah, I’m absolutely open to everything anyone has to offer. I’ll think it through and keep whatever I feel is important. I think you should be learning until the day you retire and I definitely learnt something every week last year. There is so much out there.” The combination of these traits stood Keating in good stead in the long-term. Working through those early missed cuts, she trusted hard work, good plans and her own judgment. “I was eighth in Slovakia after that rough start and then kicked on, making six top tens in the second half of the year and returning home to win two ALPG Pro-Ams so it was a good year.” www.golfqueensland.org.au There’s no doubt that others embarking on a professional career should take note of what Keating gained from discipline, good strategy and a curious mind.