CLYBURN COMPETING IN BACKYARD OF NEW HOME
It can be intimidating enough to travel on your own to another country, let alone pick up your whole life and move there.
Entering her second year on the Epson Tour, Holly Clyburn (Cleethorpes, England) did just that over the offseason. The 2013 Deloitte Ladies Open champion on the Ladies European Tour now calls her base the Sunshine State, with a brand-new home in the greater Orlando area. With the goal of advancing her career back to the LPGA Tour, she decided it would be in her best interest to move to the United States late last year.
“I waited until November [after LPGA Q-Series] and sacrificed having Christmas with my family to do it, but if I didn’t do it then I would have been struggling to,” said Clyburn. “It’s a move I’ve waited to do and is probably three years too late, should have done it while on LPGA but wasn’t in the right frame of mind to move here. Better late than never they say.”
Meanwhile, Clyburn recently returned home to the States after kicking off her 2020 season in Australia where she competed in several Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG) Tour events hoping to qualify for the ISPS Handa Vic Open and Australian Open. While not all finishes were what she was striving for, Clyburn did add to her new home’s mantelpiece with a win at the Findex Yamba Pro-Am. Now it’s on to the “Road to the LPGA” calendar.
“Not trying to put too much pressure on myself, but I feel like I am a bit ahead of the girls out here with a bit of tournament golf under my belt,” Clyburn said. “At the same time, every week you are learning and taking in new experiences, so I suppose one of the goals this week is to not put too much pressure on myself. I have my mom here with me and haven’t seen her since November, so really looking forward to enjoying time with her and playing some nice golf.”
TOURNAMENT SPONSOR EXEMPTIONS ROUND OUT FIELD
Two sponsor exemptions round out the 132-player Florida’s Natural Charity Classic field in Jenna Peters (Kohler, Wisconsin) and amateur Ina Kim-Schaad (New York, New York). It will be each individual’s third appearance at the Country Club of Winter Haven.
“I’m very grateful to have received this opportunity from Florida’s Natural to compete this week,” said Peters, who has made 13 starts on the Epson Tour since her rookie year of 2017. “This tournament is one of my favorites and I can’t think of any better place to start my season. An opportunity like this does not come often and means a lot to me. As of right now, my goal is to better my Epson Tour status and do it through this exemption or the WAPT Tour.”
One of two amateurs among the competition, Kim-Schaad still has no plans to turn professional and is looking forward to a full 2020 schedule. Her best finish at Florida’s Natural Charity Classic came in 2018 when she tied for seventh.
“I am excited to be back in Winter Haven,” Kim-Schaad said. “The course is in fantastic shape and sure to be a great challenge. I always look forward to pushing and testing myself, and to do it against these very talented ladies is always an honor. This event is one of the highlights of my season and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be here.”
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