After a difficult year battling illness and injury Australia’s Whitney Hillier returned to Ladies European Tour (LET) action in style today opening with a round of 70 (-2) at Golf Nazionale.
A popular figure on Tour having joined the circuit in 2013, Hillier was last seen at the Aramco Team Series – London event in July before both back pain and the impact of long-COVID forced her to be sidelined for the remainder of the season.
The Australian said: “I’ve had a little bit of long-COVID and it hasn’t been fun. I know its affected everyone differently, but with me I just couldn’t play anymore which was heartbreaking.
“It took me about nine months to recover. But overall, a year and a half. So I’ve been dealing with it for even longer, thinking it was fine when it wasn’t. But I’ve had a good rest and hopefully I stay healthy. I’m super positive and so happy to be here.”
Back this week with the support of friends and her fiancé Benji Brewer, Hillier returned like she never left carding five birdies to sit inside the top-10 on day one.
“I’ve missed it so much,” she said after the round. “I’ve had a lot of time to think about it and I’ve been watching the LET at home. I’ve been so keen. But I’m just happy to be healthy and be back out there. Especially this week [in Italy]… I mean how good is the food!
“When I finished Aramco [Team Series] – London I literally had three months off. I couldn’t hit a ball properly, I was tired, exhausted. I went back home to Australia to try and catch some sun and that definitely helped me a lot. Just to find the right help, that was the hardest part.
“But I found a natural healer and she’s been amazing with me. She put me on a very tough detox which is not fun. But it’s made me feel a lot better which is the main thing.”
Feeling fit again and registered for the next string of tournaments in Europe, Hilllier’s comeback campaign resumes tomorrow afternoon where she will continue to enjoy the moment and take one shot at a time.
“I think it’s just all mental now,” Hillier explained. “Knowing that I’m healthy. It takes time to get stronger and get back in the game. But today I was just super happy. I’ve got my fiancé here and two good friends of mine. One of them is caddying for me. I’ve got a good support group with me. Mentally I’m doing better.”
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