Malaysia’s top lady golfer Kelly Tan is taking inspiration from a budding friendship with LPGA legend and former World No 1 Cristie Kerr.
Kelly was paired with Kerr during the first two rounds of last week’s ANA Inspiration, and was subsequently invited to have dinner with the American star on Saturday.
“During the dinner, Cristie shared a lot of her experiences with me … and I thought I was very fortunate to have that opportunity. One of the things she told me was that some days we wake up and we feel that we are going to crush it, and then some days we just don’t feel quite right and we almost feel like we can’t play golf … and she said that’s normal, which I thought was crazy to hear from a 20-time winner on the LPGA!” said Kelly.
“But here’s the important thing … she said ‘grind through the lows and embrace it, and ride the wave when you feel like you are going to crush it’. You won’t necessarily ride it every time but don’t be afraid about the outcome. The win will come,” added the 27-year-old.
Having played just two events so far this season, starting with a rusty missed cut at the Kia Classic and following up with a T63 finish in the ANA Inspiration, Kelly is keen to put in a better performance in her next start. The LPGA schedule has a gap this week and resumes with the Lotte Championship in Hawaii on April 14-17.
The chat with Cristie, Kelly noted, will motivate her even more. “Saturday night gave me a lot of inspiration and I’m truly grateful that Cristie gave me that chance.
“I have to say she’s a class act. She might not look that way on TV or even when I played with her, but that’s just her demeanour and focus as a professional golfer. I look forward to this new friendship and mentorship.”
Kelly finished a career high 37th on the LPGA’s season-long Race To CME Globe standings in 2020, registering five top-20s and just two missed cuts in 15 starts on the abbreviated schedule. Her year was highlighted by a T13 performance at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the best ever finish by a Malaysian in a men’s or women’s Major.
Having worked with coach Gary Gilchrist on gaining speed in her swing, Kelly noted that her ball-striking has been fine so far. In fact, she’s gained some distance off the tee with an average of 261.75 yards this season compared to 254.26 in 2020.
“I’ve been hitting the ball pretty well and just need to find that little more confidence on the course, so I’ll be able to ride the momentum. My putting has been really close and I left a lot of putts on the edges at ANA … but I know that they will eventually drop,” she stressed.
