Splitting her time between Malaysia and the United States where she competes competitively against other pro-golfers on the prestigious US LPGA Tour, the nation’s no. 1 female golfer, Kelly Tan, had participated in her maiden Olympics Games held in Rio de Janeiro. She was due to appear in her second Olympics Games in Tokyo this summer. The plan is scuppered for now as the Tokyo Olympics has been delayed until 2021. We ask how she feels about the postponement and if that has altered her trajectory.
How do you feel about the postponement of the Olympics Games?
It is disappointing that Covid-19 has caused the Olympics to be postponed. I know the International Olympic Committee is making the best decision for its athletes.On the other positive side, it is giving me more time to prepare and get myself in the best mental and physical condition when the 2021 summer comes.
Has the postponement changed your goal?
It has not. But the main goal I have during this lockdown is to make sure that I’m doing my work and staying on top of my training to keep my body in the best possible shape.
What is your usual training and practice like prior to the enforcement of the lockdown?
During my weeks off, I work Mondays to Fridays with my trainer for two hours a day. I try to play as many rounds as I can as I believe I’m learning more on the course than the practice range. And to understand further, it doesn’t mean I’m not practising but if I have access to my coach, I’ll practise all day from sunrise till sunset. I believe that practising on the driving range is for me to work on the technical side of my game. But usually in-season, we (me and my coach Gary) don’t change too much technically.During my tournament weeks, it gets pretty busy. Mondays are my travel days – to get to my tournament city. Tuesdays are practice round days and I try to get some of my activation workout in the evening. Wednesdays are Pro-Am days and I do a light practice session after that and followed by my activation workout in the evening. Thursdays till Sundays are game days.
How has the lockdown affected your training and LPGA Tour schedule?
It definitely has as I have to stay home at this moment. The LPGA Tour has now been postponed till the middle of June. But I’m grateful that I still have the space at home to do my physical training.
How do you stay fit during the period of lockdown?
I don’t have weights in the house and all of my workouts for now are purely just body weight circuits which I love. I’m very active in posting what my workouts are like daily so please feel free to follow me on Instagram @kellytan33 to learn more about how I’ve been keeping myself active during this MCO.
Justin Ng