Olivia Mehaffey: 'It was good, it was nice, really enjoyable, which is the main thing for me at the minute'

ENJOYING GOLF AGAIN: Olivia Mehaffey walks up the 4th fairway at Carton House. Picture: ©INPHO/Ben Brady

A smile returned to Olivia Mehaffey’s face at Carton House on Thursday as the Irish golfer returned to competitive golf after an 11-week absence with an under-par opening round at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open.

The 26-year-old from Banbridge was playing her first tournament since withdrawing following an 87 at the Italian Open in mid-June and shot a one-under 72, banishing the anxiety which had marked much of her early season.

“It was good, it was nice, really enjoyable, which is the main thing for me at the minute,” Mehaffey said. “I said to my caddie, ‘I haven’t had as much fun on the golf course in a long time’, so it was really enjoyable.

“I feel like I’ve been playing nicely the last couple of weeks, it’s been trending nicely but you never know until you’re in the competitive environment. That’s what I saw this year, where I feel like I’ve been playing well in practice and hitting it good on the range and then struggling mentally and with anxiety on the golf course.

“It was like a different Olivia shows up in competition so it was nice to feel like my fiery, competitive, enjoying it out there and smiling self again out there.” 

Mehaffey admitted she had tried to ignore the fact she might have been ring rusty after her long absence and it certainly paid off in a round of three birdies and two bogeys.

“Yeah, I was trying not to think about it, like, just don’t think that you haven’t competed in two and a half months. I didn’t even think about that, just go and play golf.

“I’ve been trying to do a lot of that in my time off. I’ve just being playing rounds and I’ve never played as much golf and not on the range as much and just trying to like fall in love with the game and enjoy just playing and competing and scoring and not worrying about making perfect swings or hitting perfect shots.

“I’ve really enjoyed being back and seeing everybody. It’s been a busy week and it’s weird having a scorecard in your hand again, you know, it’s fine when you’re going out with your mates and you’re playing for a tenner and you think that’s a big thing but that obviously is a different factor but it’s nice to feel that again.” 

Mehaffey’s rookie season on the Ladies European Tour in 2022 had been curtailed as she dealt with the death of her father but she said she has now rediscovered her love of golf.

“I was just struggling so much off the course and I think I’m a really outgoing person so when I’m not feeling like chatty or social I’m like ‘okay, this is little bit weird’. That’s not me so I’m like you’re never going to play good golf when you’re not enjoying it, you’re not enjoying being on the road; you’re scared to go and compete.

“So taking that time to myself was really important and if there’s anything I’ve learnt in the last two years it’s ‘you’re the priority, you’re not just the athlete’. That was a nice learning for me.”