Olivia Mehaffey knows all about the hidden challenges of her job as a professional golfer.
The Northern Irish golfer, who will play the Women’s Irish Challenge on the LET Access Series (LETAS) this week, burnt herself out after playing 17 LET tournaments across the United States, South Africa, Thailand and Australia during the 2022 season.
“Life on tour is tough,” Mehaffey, 27, said. “People don’t really see the full story, what it’s like, a lot of flights, a lot of unexpected things happen. I’m having my struggles, my pro career has been very rocky, up and down.
“I think loneliness, being away so much and managing all of that… just all of the challenges that come with it is tough. The mental side of things can be very challenging in professional sport.
“In 2022, I took a break for a couple of months. I was just really struggling off the course, on the course, all just sort of fades into one. It’s probably one of the best decisions I made, got myself back into a better place and really grateful that this is my job.
“As athletes, we’re always pushing and wanting more and wanting to play every week and chasing things, and I think it’s very easy to forget about yourself and to make yourself a priority. It’s very important to think about yourself and separate the two things: you as a person and you as a golfer.”
With the Women’s Irish Challenge at Malehide about an hour’s drive away from home, Mehaffey, who usually competes on the LET, is playing her first LETAS event of the season.
“I love playing at home,” she said. “I think the crowds in Ireland are very good. We’re very lucky that all of the girls have always been very well supported, and it’s just always special playing in front of friends and family.
“I’ve been battling a back injury, I had to withdraw last week and I’m still struggling to hit balls. So I think just staying healthy is probably the main thing for me this week.”
Mehaffey qualified for this year’s US Women’s Open for the first time as a professional in June.
“The US Open was amazing, such a good experience,” she said. “It’s fun to play against the best players in the world, and you learn about a lot about your game. And yeah, it really like kind of inspired me to change a few things and get better at some things.
“It was a very very enjoyable experience. It was like a lot of nerves, kind of different playing as a professional than an amateur.It was nice to play on that stage again. It’s unbelievable to see where the women’s game is at. The girls now are so good.”
Having played on Tour since 2016, Mehaffey is still searching for her first professional victory.
“I’ve been doing this for a while, but I don’t think you lose that hunger and that motivation,” she added. Tthere’s still a lot of things that I want to achieve that I don’t feel like I have. I don’t think that I’ve got to where I think I can.
“I’ve made some changes on some things recently. I’m really looking forward to that continuous chase of trying to get better. I haven’t had a win as a pro, and that’s a big goal of mine that I would like to check off.”
