West Australian Jess Whitting finds herself back in her happy place this week, defending the biggest win of her career at last year’s Australian Women’s Classic when rain washed out the final day at Bonville.
The 27-year-old shared the trophy with Denmark’s Nicole Broch Estrup and Taiwan’s Peiying Tsai on six under par when play was abandoned at Bonville Golf Resort.
“It was pretty cool,” she said during a walk of the Coffs Harbour Golf Club layout this afternoon as staff prepared for tomorrow’s start.
“It was obviously a shame with the way it ended up, but to be able to put a semi-win under my belt was really exciting and a good way to start off my first Aussie season.”
Whilst her shared win brought some limited status on the LET, Whitting still feels the sharp reality that she needs to win again this year or finish in the top 15 on the LET to advance her game to the next level.
She will need more sponsorship and support, not an easy thing to do without success on the biggest stage.
“My biggest stress right now is financials,” she said.
“It’s quite hard to get sponsors out here when they want to see you at the big levels, but you need the help to get there. One thing that always gets me down is the pressure of having to make the money this week to help me go to the next week.
“I’ve been working on it, trying to just play the week out and (forgetting about money) and just go, you know what, we’ll deal with it at the end of the week. Obviously that’s easier said than done.
“You get to the last nine holes and you’re about to make the cut line. It somehow seems to trickle in (the cut) and you try to push it aside and little things happen.”
Fortunately, Whitting has a supportive partner who “isn’t a golfer, but he’s the greatest”.
The prospect of the Epson, LET, and LPGA tours is within reach, says Whitting, who has three goals for the season ahead.
“Number one would hopefully be a win on the Epson,” she said. “Which also trickles into the second one, which is to finish top 15 on the Epson so I can get my LPGA card.”
Whitting’s third goal is to eventually move to the US with her partner to make touring much easier. Getting another win here at the Coffs Coast would make a huge impact in her life a second time around.
“Hopefully we can walk away with maybe an LET card and get some world ranking points with a win here,” she said, whilst admitting her short game will need to lift.
“For me, I can get the ball to the green, but it’s making those clutch putts around that seven-foot range.
“Skill and talent varies but I think everyone out here is so competitive that it’s the smallest things that make a difference.”
