She may have only just turned 18 at the start of the year, but Pia Babnik has already made a name for herself in the golfing world and is on a one-way ticket to the top.
Having already claimed two LET tournament victories in 2021, the Slovenian has had an incredible rise to prominence in the last 12 months, with a second-placed finish on the Race to Costa Del Sol standings a sign of things to come.
With parents Ales and Mateja both representing their country in badminton, Pia was always destined to follow in their footsteps, with sporting activities a constant part of her childhood in Ljubljana.
With her younger twin brothers providing constant competition in her primitive years, Babnik would rarely be seen anywhere else but the golf course, basketball court, or playing padel.
But even from an early age it was with golf club in hand that she was happiest, and the talent was evident – even before she had properly started school she had a piece of silverware to her name.
She recalls: “I remember my first tournament was when I was four years old, and it was the under-8 national Championship. That’s where I got my first birdie and finished third overall – I still have that trophy in my room.
“Golf was number one and everything else was just to develop the body, so I was never going to choose another sport, I always loved golf more than any other sport from the beginning.
“I just loved hitting balls and just loved the game, I don’t really remember much but I simply loved it, and I still love it now.
“My parents taught me that the most important thing is to develop as a sportsperson and as an athlete, so it really helped being involved in other sports at a young age.”
It’s that love of incessant practice, of watching the tweaks in your swing coming to fruition, of making yourself able to read even the most tumultuous of greens that draws so many people to the game, and Babnik is no exception.
Having got the golfing bug, the budding young talent began regularly competing in junior competitions in Slovenia, winning every age group title in the process, as well as a historic victory in the Van Horn Cup, where she won with a record score of -16 through 18 holes.
Win after win, wherever Babnik competed she seemed to have the magic touch, and it was clear for all to see that the family’s sporting legacy was going to be continued, even before she had become a teenager.
The Slovenian first made her mark on the LET Access Series at the age of 12 – making the cut to finish T29 at the Boras Ladies Open in 2016 – and thus proving to herself that she could compete with the best when given the chance.
Fast-forward a little over three years, and with plenty more hours spent on the course, on the range and at school, Babnik had made fleeting appearances as an amateur on the LET circuit but made the most of her opportunity at the start of 2020 at Q-School, where an 11th placed finish saw her secure her card for the year ahead.
“The 2019 season, which was my last as an amateur player, I really played well. I won a lot of tournaments and played in the PING Junior Solheim Cup which was a great experience,” she reminisces.
“It was nice watching the big players playing, and getting to compete at the Junior Solheim Cup which is similar to what the older players are playing, so it was a really nice experience.”
After a stop-start year in which she recorded two top-ten finishes from seven events, it took Babnik no time to get her 2021 season up and running, with her first professional victory coming at the Jabra Ladies Open in June.
Evian Resort Golf Club will always hold a special place in the Slovenian’s heart because of that occasion, but an hour into the final day of the competition she must have wished she could have been anywhere else.
“The final round didn’t start as I expected, I made two double bogeys on the first two holes, so then I just said to myself that I have four par-fives before the end, so let’s at least try to make four more birdies so that I finish level par.
“So, I just kept playing like it was a practice round, I didn’t really care because I thought it was gone, but I guess I got a bit lucky a little bit, but I played the 16 holes really well, so I was really happy to get back after the first two holes.”
After clawing herself back into contention with two clutch-birdies in her final two holes of the day, Babnik was to endure a nail-biting playoff hole against reigning champion Annabel Dimmock, with the Englishwoman among the leading pack for much of the three days in France.
But even at the tender age of 17, the young star kept her cool to clinch her first LET tournament victory, leading to jubilant celebrations with dad Aleś alongside her.
She continues: “I was just happy that I was second anyway, because it would have been my best result on the LET, but in the playoff I really wanted to win.
“After I hit the drive and got the second shot on the green, I was really happy and relaxed about it, which was weird, and it was a great day with a great finish, and I’m really happy about it.
“It was a great tournament, the week before in Italy I didn’t play well, so I was really focused on my play and how I was going to do because you can’t affect anyone else.
“I was really happy about it and it made me want to get out there and practice more to get to do the same again, and after that I’m really happy with how the season went.”
After getting her hands on her first piece of silverware as a professional, things continued to skyrocket for the teenage talent, as she earned herself a place at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Suddenly, the 18-year-old became a household name in her homeland, with posters of her face in the streets of the Slovenian capital while she competed for the gold medal, and it was a time in her life that she will always cherish.
“When you go there and see everything it’s really something special. It was a great experience, I really enjoyed it there, so I’m really happy that I made it,” Babnik beams.
“Before we played the guys were also there, so we saw all the best in the world – Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and others, and they were really nice.
“It was great playing with the top women as well to see where you are next to them and where you can improve, so I really enjoyed it and it was a great experience to play in the biggest event in the world.
“The main thing about the Olympics was seeing all the athletes from all the other sports and everyone is so relaxed. I think you can take something good from every athlete, because even if they are not the best they are still the best at something they do in their sport.”
And if you had to pick something Babnik is best at in her sport, it would have to be the ability to keep cool in adversity and fight until the end, just as she did to take home the spoils in Evian, and just as she did later in the year at the Aramco Team Series event held in Jeddah.
Sitting four shots off leader Olivia Cowan heading into the final day, the Slovenian was sitting in a tie for eighth, and had failed to bolster that score any further after six holes on a sweltering Friday in Saudi Arabia.
But when the pressure is on the cream rises to the top, and within the next six holes she had picked up five shots to see her rocket up the leaderboard, before another birdie on 15 really put the cat among the pigeons.
And as Cowan capitulated on the last – the German dropping two shots after finding the water – Babnik rolled in a final birdie on 18 to claim a second piece of silverware of the season, and in no less dramatic circumstances than her first.
Speaking at the time, she said: “It feels amazing! I must admit, I didn’t know what was going on with the scores. I didn’t look at the leaderboard and I didn’t know until before the last putt. I was just trying to play my game and I’m really happy with my win.”
With a raft of Solheim Cup players and Race to Costa del Sol challengers within the top ten, that win in Jeddah was a real statement of intent from the rising star as the 2021 season drew to a close.
And after an off-season shared between the golf course and being back on the books – having not quite finished school just yet – Babnik will be coming back on Tour eager to make her mark once again, and this time she’s aiming for more, as her parting shot shows.
“I still have the same goal which is to become the number one in the world, so I’m just going to go on and try to achieve that.”
