After two top 10 finishes and four more top 20s, Zhen Bontan had her season on tour brutally cut short with a wrist injury.
During the first round of the hotly anticipated Rose Ladies Open, Bontan was forced to withdraw from the tournament and then from the last four events but the hardest decision to make was not playing Q School in December.
“Because of my wrist, it’s been a long off season.” Bontan said. “It’s been intense, and I’ve had to make a lot of tough decisions, but I decided to not operate on my wrist and let it heal by itself.
“By the start of February I can say everything is fully recovered, I’m back to playing and really happy.”
This was Bontan’s first injury since turning professional in 2020 and pursuing her childhood dreams.
Bontan first picked up a club at 7-years-old after enjoying playing mini golf, but tennis was her first sporting love.
“Neither of my parents played tennis or golf but until I was 13, I played tennis nationally and golf was on the side.
“Yet I saw a longer career in golf, so I stayed patient, played amateur events then for the federation, and grew as an amateur.”
“I think it’s important to have experiences to learn, that was a reason for me to become a professional quicker than I should have on paper but in the end I’m happy with the decisions I made.”
Away from the tour, Bontan plays with amateurs every Saturday and says she has learnt so much from watching their game.
“Some people think they don’t play nice, and I say oh yes you did. You must remind people about the good shots. I think we must do that as well in professional golf play.
“You have to remind yourself that you had some good shots as well. Psychology wise, it’s very important to stay positive.
“I learnt that lesson with my wrist. You want to heal as quick as possible. But the focus was not only on my physical Recovery. It was also a body and mind Recovery, telling my brain to stay positive!”
Bontan will tee it up at Golf du Terre Blanche for the 12th edition of the Terre Blanche Ladies Open on April 12-14.
