The off season always flies by and it’s hard to believe that we are one week away from the season opener, the Terre Blanche Ladies Open.
For Scottish golfer, Hannah McCook time has flown as she has been kept busy with training camps, practice, and a house renovation. Yet now, the 30-year-old is excited to resume tour life on the LET Access Series. (LETAS)
Last season was memorable for McCook as the Scottish player secured her first professional win at the Rose Ladies Series event at the Grove.
McCook had to work for it claiming victory after a three way play off against LET pro Georgina Blackman and Amy Taylor.
On LETAS, McCook had four top 10 finishes included a best place finish of runner up at the Capio Ogon Trophy.
Finishing 13th on the Order of Merit rankings, McCook was exempted into the final stage of Q School but struggled out in Morocco.
Speaking about her Q School experience, McCook said: “It was disappointing. I feel like I’ve never done that well at school. I struggle. I don’t know whether with the pressure of it I build up too much in my head.
“Everything matters there when it doesn’t. It’s just one week of golf but I think I struggle with when you do well for a whole season and then you’ve got one week to try and change things, which doesn’t necessarily happen.
“This year, I played really well in practice rounds but then the tournament came and I just thought too much.”
After picking herself back up, McCook took some rest over Christmas and New Year before embarking on a training camp with her alma mater, the University of Stirling and has made some changes by including seeing a psychologist and having a new putting coach.
McCook has the same goal as last year, to earn an LET card for 2025 but is delighted that this year there are seven cards up for grabs.
The Terre Blanche Ladies Open is McCook’s first event of the season and the Nethy-Bridge born golfer is no stranger to the testing course.
“I’ve played it quite a lot. I’m trying to forget, but I’ve never unfortunately done that well there. So, I’m trying not to think about that and just about my own golf game and see basically see what happens at the first one of the season.
“So, I will try not to put too much pressure on myself. Just manage to function. Getting up the hills would be quite nice. Hopefully it’s not as windy throughout last season but looking forward to it as the course itself is lovely.”
Away from the golf course, McCook has a distraction from thinking about golf as she is maid of honour for fellow professional golfer, Tara Mactaggart and they plan to organise the wedding after tournament rounds.
“I’ve just spent the weekend with Tara and Louise Duncan. There is a lot of wedding chat. I joke being like, what did we even talk about last year? But it’s nice. It’s great to see Tara so happy.”
After a few years back in the highlands managing a part-time job and a fledgling amateur career, McCook finally made the decision to turn professional at the start of 2019. just a short time before the Covid pandemic hit decimating the tour.
That’s not the only challenge McCook has had to face in her tenure as a professional, she also competes as a type one diabetic.
However, having found inspiration from six-time Olympic medal rower and fellow diabetic, Steve Redgrave, the Scot has never looked back but acknowledges that her journey to this point has been trickier than most.
Always stoic in her approach, McCook feels 2024 is her year and is looking for her first professional win on tour.
“I’d like to think this is my year, you don’t win every week you play. But if I can just try and get out of my my own head at times, I think I’ve will give myself a greater chance of being able to do it.”
The Terre Blanche Ladies Open starts on April 12th.
Follow all the action throughout our 2024 season on our socials on @letaccess on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok and LET Access Series on Facebook – #RaiseOurGame.
