Kelly Tan has enlisted some ‘Malaysian’ help in her preparations for the final Major of the year, the US Women’s Open on December 10-13 at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas – in the form of Joshua Gibbons, a British national born and bred in Malaysia where his father Paul has been a stalwart of the golf and sports industry since the early 1990s.
The first two rounds of the US Women’s Open will be played over both Champions Golf courses, Cypress Creek and Jackrabbit, to account for reduced daylight in December, with Cypress Creek hosting rounds 3 and 4. Rather than cram all her practice in the few days before the event, Kelly was in Houston last week and played both Champions Golf courses with Joshua, whom she has known since her amateur days in Malaysia. Joshua lives and works in Houston and is a member of the club.
“We connected a few weeks back and fixed a few games at his home course. I’ve played both Champions Golf courses twice with Joshua and it was really good to get some insights,” shared Kelly.
Kelly had opted out of the previous week’s Pelican Women’s Championship to focus on the final stretch of the season, starting with next week’s Volunteers of America Classic in Dallas, Texas, followed by the US Women’s Open and concluding with the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida on December 17-20.
Now working in the financial services industry in Houston, Joshua was a highly-successful competitive player during his junior days in Malaysia, often playing in the same events as Kelly but of course in the boy’s category. He left for the US in 2013 to attend the University of Houston, where he was a member of the college golf team until graduating with a BBA in finance in 2017.
“I’ve been a member of Champions Golf for four years and reached out to Kelly when I found out we were hosting the US Women’s Open. I certainly hope the weather is good for the girls during the event,” said the 25-year-old, who currently plays off a +3 handicap.
Kelly noted that she feels pretty comfortable on both Champions Golf 18s.
“The Cypress Creek is a tree-lined course with many doglegs, playing to tricky greens with false fronts and drop-offs around them. It plays pretty long and narrow, like how Major venues usually play. The Jackrabbit is a shorter course, so it is definitely more of a scoring layout.
“When I played, the greens were still pretty soft but if the weather permits, the USGA will have it play hard and fast as they do with every US Open,” she shared.
Kelly has played in two US Women’s Opens since turning professional in 2013, missing the cut on debut at Pinehurst in 2014 and finishing T32 at CordeValle in 2016.
“The US Women’s Open is my favourite event because it always has a strong field, and I believe the venues always play the hardest but fairest,” she said. “It makes you use every shot you have in the bag, so you have to be really creative!”
Kelly’s confidence is on a high as she has been in superb form since the LPGA Tour resumed in late July, following a five-month break due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Her consistent play has been highlighted by a number of strong performances, including a T13 finish in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship last month – the best-ever finish by a Malaysian in a Major.
“This year has been great despite the virus. I’m very grateful to be doing what I love every day and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my sponsors – Mazda Malaysia, Jasa Sarjana, Top Glove, The Els Club Desaru Coast, J. Lindeberg and Acushnet. There have also been a few kind individuals who’ve been a great support to me this year,” Kelly revealed.
“Some of these companies have been with me for a few years, especially Mazda … I’ve been with them for six years now and I really could not have done it without them!”
After losing full status on the LPGA Tour for the 2018 season, Kelly played mainly on the second-tier Symetra Tour for two years where she won the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic last March for her first international professional title. She managed to regain her full LPGA card through the gruelling Q-Series late last year.
Kelly paid tribute to her team for believing in her through thick and thin. “I’ve worked really hard the past few years but the results haven’t really shown. It was disappointing but my coach, trainer and caddy never doubted me, even when I doubted myself. I just can’t give my team enough credit!
“Confidence has been my best friend this year. There are so many positives and I’m just so proud that I’ve fought to climb this brick wall. It’s been really satisfying to see the consistency in my game and I love the way my game is trending,” noted the 27-year-old from Batu Pahat, Johor.
“I’m going to play hard these last three events and see where I can put myself on the board!”
