Malaysia’s Ainil Bakar is raring to finally resume her European campaign with a three-event swing in Switzerland starting next week.
The 30-year-old starts off with the Flumserberg Ladies Open at Gams-Werdenberg Golf Club (September 3-5) which is a Ladies European Tour Access Series (LETAS) event, followed by the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open at Golfpark Holzhäusern (September 10-12) on the main Ladies European Tour (LET), and finally the LETAS’ Lavaux Ladies Open at Golf De Lavaux (September 23-25).
“I’m so excited to be back on tour! It’s been a while. I’m excited to see where my game is at during tournaments after a long break,” said Ainil, who turned professional in 2010 and has played mainly in Europe since 2014.
“I’m feeling comfortable with my game right now. I’ve been working a lot on my swing and made a few changes to make it more consistent under pressure,” she shared.
Ainil noted that she’s also been fine-tuning her short game with the help of fellow touring pro Jeremiah Kim, as well as having online sessions with her Korea-based coach Tony Maloney.
While she holds cards for the LET, LETAS and China LPGA Tour, Ainil has not played competitively since the LET qualifying school in Spain in late January. She missed the early season LET events in Australia due to visa issues.
“I know it’s not going to be the same playing a normal round of golf and competing in tournaments. I’m sure my game will be a little rusty but hopefully I can get back into tournament mode quickly,” said Ainil, who leaves for Switzerland via Abu Dhabi on a red-eye Eithad Airways flight tomorrow morning.
Following the Lavaux Ladies Open, Ainil will return to Malaysia as she is unable to travel to the other European countries for subsequent events due to Covid-19 restrictions. Fortunately, the local PGM Tour resumes in late September and she will be able to play in three ladies’ events.
“I will be coming back straight away and will play the PGM Tour events in October and November. Unfortunately, I will miss the first event but I’m definitely planning on playing the rest,” she said.
Ainil has won six times on the PGM Tour and was the top-ranked player on the tour’s 2019 Ladies Order of Merit. She has one international win to her name in the 2016 Ladies Finnish Open on the LETAS circuit.
