Kirsten Rudgeley is playing on the Ladies European Tour (LET) this week for the first time as a professional.
The 23-year-old teed it up when the LET last came to Australia in 2022, but she was still an amateur.
Now in her second season on Tour, Rudgeley is excited to be able to play in her homeland for the next two weeks.
“I do like playing over in Australia, it does feel like I’m actually playing at home,” said the Australian.
“I’m not at home but it feels like it. Hopefully, the weather stays good. It feels nice and relaxed, and we’ll go with the week.
“It’s handy for me to have these tournaments back, it’s only five hours instead of 17! It doesn’t get better than that. It’s nice to be back here and it’s good for the other girls as well, getting to come and see Australia. They treat it as a holiday because it feels like that.”
Magenta Shores Golf & Country Club is the venue for this week’s Women’s NSW Open – an event where Rudgeley finished T10 in 2022.
The Aussie player will be teeing it up in the first round at 7.15 am (local time) alongside Germany’s Patricia Isabel Schmidt and Ireland’s Lauren Walsh.
Rudgeley has made the cut in her first three events of the season but knows this week will be a challenge.
“It’s a really nice golf course,” she explained. “If the wind gets up, I think it will definitely be a challenge, it’s a challenge anyway just with the greens and the runoffs.
“Smart golf will end up being near the leaderboard. There are a few holes that you can attack as well, but it’s up to how you’re feeling on that shot.
“I haven’t been doing much back home, just cruising. I saw my coach and have done a little bit of practice and chilled out.
“The game is okay, it can be better definitely, but if you’re still doing okay and you could be better it is always a good sign.”
Follow all the action throughout the 2024 season on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram, TikTok and X, and Ladies European Tour on YouTube and Facebook – #RaiseOurGame #NSWOpen.
