I am off to Dallas, Texas, with my mum to compete on the Women’s All Pro Tour which is the third level tour in the US and its role is to primarily help transition College amateurs to both the Epson and LPGA Tours.
I have an exemption because I won an event on the WAPT almost a year ago at the Hot Springs Championship, Arizona, where I won $8,000.
We are going early for the first event, so I can acclimatise for a few days and get in some practice.
My caddie Gavin Tullis will be joining me in a few days’ time for all three events I am competing in. Gavin has caddied for me for a couple of years or so, even before I turned pro two years ago.
All three tournaments are played over four rounds from Tuesday to Friday with each event having a total purse of $55,000.
The events are the Mackie Construction Pro Golf Classic in Abilene, Texas, Wichita Falls Championship, which is also in texas and the FCA Women’s Championship in Oklahoma.
The purpose of this visit is to start my season off and get in the rhythm of tournaments again.
I decided on this US route this year rather than the Ladies’ European Tour because it based in one country. The early part of the season on the LET involves a lot of international travel, and with me only having limited playing opportunities. We will review my schedule for the rest of the year after completing these three events and maybe play on the LET in Europe in the summer months. We will see how it all goes.
I have actually only been back in Dubai for one week from the US after playing on the WAPT in Louisiana, where I finished tied 12th moving up 25 places on the final day, with a 69. I was the only player in the field to break 70 on a tough day. I seem to thrive in tough conditions, and this is something I need to acknowledge and learn from.
I have seen my strength and conditioning coach Alan Gregson-Walters at Emirates Golf Club over the last few days to keep up my routines.
We will be travelling between events in the US by car, the three of us - my mum, Gavin and myself. I will share some of the driving with my mum.
I really enjoy being in America and the lifestyle, it suits me and I feel very comfortable there, and we are all very well looked after by the organisers who are so friendly and helpful. Many of the events involve staying with members of the host golf clubs, which really adds to the buzz of the tournament week as they usually come and support the players on-course.
The standard of play on the WAPT is good, with many Epson players participating, where and when the schedules permit.
Alison Muirhead is a 23 year old professional golfer, who has lived in Dubai for 16 years.
