I thought I had made it, but that’s when the pain started to get worse.

My foot had been bothering me a bit, feeling achy and sore after my practice sessions and tournament rounds, so I decided to go see a doctor before the Epson Tour Championship, the last event of the 2023 season.

The X-rays they took didn’t show a fracture or give any real reason for the discomfort I was feeling. The doctors said it could be a case of turf toe, but they told me I was good to keep on playing, so I put one of those donut foot cushions in my golf shoe and teed it up that week at LPGA International.

Even though I barely finished in the top 25 at Tour Champ, I still came in second on the money list and won the Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year award. It was so validating seeing all the effort I put in pay off in that way, especially after a whirlwind of a year. I traveled a lot on my own and worked so hard on my game, and it felt like the universe was saying, you’re doing amazing, sweetie. Keep going!

The pain was still there, but it was manageable, so I continued on competing, thinking that I could deal with it during the offseason. I went to Malaysia to tee it up as a sponsor invite in the Maybank Championship, a tournament I was so excited to play in my home country, having just secured my card through the Epson Tour. I played in the Pebble Beach Invitational not long after. It was business as usual even though I knew something wasn’t right.

Then, I woke up one morning in so much pain at 2 a.m. My foot hurt unbelievably badly. I immediately texted my friend who’s a doctor, asking what they thought might be going on, and they recommended I go for an MRI as soon as possible.

The MRI results didn’t show anything concerning. My doctor thought it was a bone edema caused by stress and overwork and told me it was nothing to worry about. I flew home to Malaysia for the holidays and saw another doctor when the pain became so unbearable I couldn’t play golf anymore.

Every Step Forward

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