Polish golf for many years went unseen and unheard.
That’s now changing thanks to Polish athletes like Adrian Meronk and Dorota Zalewska, the first Polish professional to play on the LET, propelling it into the limelight.
Likewise LET Access Series (LETAS) player Nicole Polivchak, who grew up in Florida, is fiercely proud to play under her red and white flag.
Speaking about her affinity to Poland, Polivchak said: “My Polish roots are very important to me.
“I went to Polish Sunday school as a kid, that taught me Polish and I love the culture. It’s my base when I’m on tour and I’m missing Poland right now.
“Adrian Meronk showed the world that people from Poland can play well.
“I think it’s awesome that Dorota’s the first woman from Poland to play on the LET. I’m hoping she does well and hopefully I’ll join her next year.“
Polivchak’s father is American and her mother is Polish but admits to feeling a closer connection to her Polish culture.
Yet the golfer is thankful for the opportunities she had growing up in the US.
“Mum and Dad met in Poland, he brought her to the US and proposed to her just before her flight back.
“She came here for a better life for me. She didn’t speak any English and she had to start from scratch. I’m very grateful for that life.”
The 24-year-old was talent spotted by the head coach of the national team after winning a tournament one summer as a teenager.
Since then, Polivchak has been part of the Polish team since 2015 and counts them as her second family.
“In Poland, there’s a lot of good up and coming players, people who are ready to turn pro in the next few years so it’s a pivotal moment for Polish golf.”
Polivchak enjoyed a successful rookie season last year with a fifth-place finish at the Big Green Egg Swedish Open and two missed cuts.
Reflecting on 2023, Polivchak said: “At the beginning of the 2023 season I was a category 20, so it was hard to get into events at first.
“In my second start I placed 13th and that really helped with the re-rank. I went from struggling to get into events to being able to plan them.
“That was a big hurdle that I came over.
“I’m very proud of myself that I just kept fighting, that I fought for my spot to play on the tour. The rest of the season I was very consistent.
“I made a lot of cuts and improved my scoring average.
“I was a fighter last season and now I have a category two for this season so I can kind of relax and just plan normally so I’m very happy about that.”
Polivchak, who enjoys playing pickleball in her spare time, has a goal of placing in the top seven on tour and earning her 2025 LET card but her biggest dream is to compete in the Olympics.
“My dream since I was a kid was to compete in the Olympics. I didn’t know it would be golf, but I just knew that I wanted to be in the Olympics.
“Olympics 2028 is my target. The Olympics would be so special, imagine the opening ceremony, being with everyone from your country and that feeling that you’ve worked so hard for something.
Polivchak’s season gets underway at the Terre Blanche Ladies Open on the 12thApril.
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For more information on the LET Access Series, visit letaccess.com and follow @LETAccess on Instagram and Twitter – #RaiseOurGame.
