Malaysian ladies’ number one Kelly Tan is eager to get back into action at the US$1.75 million Dana Open, following a three-week break from the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour.
“I’m always excited to play golf and I was getting bit restless! I think golf is a sport where, when you’re playing great, you want to keep playing; and when you’re not playing well, you want to get back to playing,” said Tan.
This 38th Dana Open takes place at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio, which has been the venue since 1988. Tan tees off at 12.31pm on Thursday, July 13 (Malaysian time – 12.31am, Friday, July 14), grouped with Dewi Weber of the Netherlands and Korean Soo Bin Joo.
Tan is glad that her husband, Dustin Lattery, is back on the bag for her at the Dana Open and the next event, the two-player team-format Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational. The 29-year-old has fond memories of both tournaments, especially the latter where she teamed up with Finnish player Matilda Castren to finish second last year.
“Dusty will be on the bag for the next couple of weeks with me. I had my best individual performance of T4 at the 2014 Dana Open and the next tournament, the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, is where I had my best LPGA Tour finish with Matilda – so I’m looking forward to both,” said Tan.
Tan noted that the time off, spent mainly with Lattery at their home in Calgary, Canada, allowed her to rediscover her love for the game. “Honestly, I just played a lot of golf and time went by really fast!
“I got to spend a week with the team from Duca del Cosma, my shoe sponsor. They came up to Calgary and we did some marketing and photo shoots. I’m helping them design my own personal golf shoe, which will launch soon!”
Tan noted that she is still looking for a suitable mental coach.
“I’ve been talking to a few people. Even when I’m playing well, it’s something that can only make my game stronger,” explained Tan, who has had a disappointing LPGA Tour campaign so far this year with eight missed cuts in nine starts.
“I have such a great team around me and I want to bring in the right people. But I am excited about everything and where things are headed,” she added.
Hailing from Batu Pahat, Johor, Tan has set numerous benchmarks for Malaysian golf over the course of her 10-year professional career, including best performance in a Major with her 13th place finish at the 2020 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
In 2020, Tan finished a career-high 37th on the LPGA Tour’s season-long Race to the CME Globe standings. She finished 67th in last year’s rankings.
In April this year, Tan was appointed as the ASEAN ambassador for Maybank, Malaysia’s largest financial services and banking group. The LPGA Tour will be returning to Malaysia this October 26-29 with the US$3 million Maybank Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club.
