At the end of 2021, Steph Kyriacou headed to LPGA Q Series with hopes of securing status on the other side of the Atlantic and after two tough weeks, she achieved her goal.
Alongside friends and fellow LET members, the Australian cemented her place on the LPGA for 2022 and flew back home after a seven-month stretch away.
The 21-year-old held her nerve on the final day shooting a 71 (-1) to finish T16 on 11-under and make sure she had a place on the LPGA Tour.
“It felt like a very slow two weeks but as the days went on, the more nervous I would get. By the end of those two weeks, I was ready to go home and sleep,” she said.
“I kind of went into the last round thinking if I just makes pars then I’ll get my card, and I only shot one-under. I remember getting to the back nine and just thinking ‘make pars’ and then when I hit it on to the 18th green, there was a huge sigh of relief.”
Kyriacou, who finished third in last year’s Race to Costa del Sol, headed back to the other side of the world and took time to relax, rejuvenate and enjoy herself after being away since the season started in May.
But soon enough, the two-time LET winner picked up her clubs again and got back into playing as she made a few changes to her game.
The Aussie then played in a couple of events in front of a home crowd, something she relished when she won the 2020 Australian Ladies’ Classic Bonville and took up LET membership.
And despite not getting the results she wanted, Kyriacou believes she is now ready to get her season up and running this week at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International.
“I managed to go home for three months which was great after spending seven months away,” she continued.
“I took a little break to just relax and then slowly got back into it. I’ve made a couple changes in my game which have been hard to transition into, but I’m pretty confident with how I’m playing now.
“I didn’t play great in the events at home, but it was nice to play in front of an Aussie crowd and get back into competition golf again.”
With status on both the LET and LPGA, Kyriacou is excited for the opportunities ahead – even if she hasn’t completely decided what that entails.
But starting at Royal Greens, a course she knows well, gives her confidence as back in 2020 she set a course record of 63 (-9) which was equalled by last year’s champion Lydia Ko.
“I’m pretty excited to play this year, I have more opportunities that I’m looking forward to this year being able to play on both Tours,” she explained. “I’m not 100% on my schedule yet so I’ll be deciding along the way.
“I’m very excited to be at Royal Greens, I love the course. I think this course is a good challenge and it suits my eye.
“I’m looking forward to competing again, I only got to play in a couple events earlier on but now I feel ready.
“I’ve played here a lot, so I’m not scared to hit the golf shots I need. When I first played at Royal Greens, I was scared to hit a few shots, but now I’ve lost that fear.”
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