Tahnia Ravnjak is discovering how tough life can be establishing a career on tour.
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Life as a touring pro golfer is a grind at the best of times.
When starting out, there’s few opportunities, so keeping your game in tip-top shape and ready to take advantage of any last-minute tournament call-up, which could be thousands of kilometres away, is a real challenge.
Add an ill-timed injury and things can go from tough to insurmountable very quickly indeed as The Cordeaux Heights local is fiinding out.
Her rookie year started well enough.
After joining the ALPG ranks in January, she found her feet fast, making the cut at the Oates Victorian Open, with a tie for 48th in only her second outing as a pro.
She followed the result with a frantic dash to Hainan for the China LPGA qualifying school.
Three fantastic days of golf later, and Ravnjak was the low qualifier with the likelihood of a full year of tournament play awaiting her.
A month or so later after a pleasing beginning to her career during the Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG) summer tour, a confident Ravnjak headed to China for a stretch of three tournaments.
Sadly, a stress fracture in her left hand developed at the very first tournament.
Ravnjak battled through the pain, and not knowing what was wrong, she eventually missed all three cuts.
“I played three tournaments in a row, and I didn’t know what was wrong. It (the fracture) was the reason I played so poorly,” Ravnjak said.
Suddenly her rookie year had turned into a battle.
“When I got back I had an ultrasound then an MRI. I had to see the physio once a week for a few weeks to monitor the recovery,” she said.
“I couldn’t play any golf at all for the first four weeks before I was even allowed to putt. I couldn’t even pick up a club.
“It was six weeks of torture, I was so used to being outside all day practising and then forced not to do anything was a huge mental challenge.
“It (the injury) cost me three tournaments. I should have missed five, but I decided to play.”
Ravnjak’s fortunes took another nose-dive when the tour’s re-rank took effect, meaning the remainder of her 2018 tournament dairy is now looking a little sparse.
“They did a re-rank, and I dropped 42 spots (on the order of entry list),” she said
“I still get into all of the China Tour only events, but the big-money co-sanctioned ones are now even harder for me to get into.”
Ravnjak is still upbeat, now back on the range working on her swing and hoping to be able to head to USLPGA or Ladies European Tour School at the end of the year.
However, the costs involved in just entering the schools are significant, leaving Ravnjak looking for assistance to help achieve her goal.
“I really want to go to Q-school, but I’m hoping I don’t have to put it off for another year,” she said.
“It’s going to mean finding a part-time job, or hopefully a sponsor to help.”
