Lindy Duncan, ranked 208th in the world by Golf Rankings, thought 2023 would be her make-or break year. She started the season without a ranking and said to herself: Either I get better at golf or I do something else.
Duncan was in a great mood when she emerged from the scoring booth on Sunday of The Annika last November, the penultimate LPGA event. She had finished the season in 92nd place on the CME point list. Her card was secured for another year.
She said: “I feel that I am playing some of my best ever.”
Duncan’s comeback is just one of many. Lilia Vu considered going to law school a few years ago after her 2019 rookie season in the LPGA had left her feeling “destroyed.” Her mother convinced Vu to continue.
Vu said, “I remember feeling miserable.” “This is the dream. Everything we worked for was out here and I just wasn’t in the right mind for it.”
Vu fought back, using the strength of her grandfather to motivate herself. She climbed up to No. After winning four majors in 2023 and four other titles, Vu is now ranked No.
Lilia Vu on the 18th hole after winning the 2023 AIG Women’s Open in Surrey, England. Andrew Redington/Getty Images. Photo: Lilia Vu.
Ruoning Yi missed the cut on seven of her nine first starts last year as a rookie. She also called home to tell her mother she wanted quit. She hit the ball poorly, so she practiced even harder. Her range sessions went from 100 to 500 balls.
She was in pain and irritated.
“My mother told me that if you can’t swing, don’t try to swing,” recalled Yin. “Just do your putting exercises, practice putting, and chipping – you’ll be fine.” We still love you no matter what.
This message gave Yin all the strength she needed. She finished fourth in the Dana Open at Toledo, and has never looked back. Yin is a rising star and major champion in China. She ranks No. Behind Vu, Yin is ranked No.
Azahara Munoz never imagined how difficult it would be to return from maternity leave. The fight to keep her Tour Card made her feel sick all week long at The Annika. Munoz entered the event 100th in the CME point list. The top 100 retain their full status until 2024. Munoz claimed she was so overwhelmed she didn’t want to even tee up.
She said, “If this is what it’s like to be stressed out, I don’t think I want play golf.” It’s not fun at all.
Azahara Muoz, a Spanish golfer, plays a shot at the 16th green during the final round The ANNIKA powered by Gainbridge, held on November 12, 2023 in Belleair, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images).
Munoz played well enough in the end to be able to compete at that event. He jumped up to 64th place on the list of points after taking a second-place tie at Pelican golf club.
This season, there were triumphs at every turn for players in all stages of their career and life.
Alison Lee is not shy about her low point. Lee, after her parents persuaded her to give it another try in 2019, qualified for an early-season tournament in 2020. She knew that she would move up on the priority list in the next reshuffle if she performed well.
She had a panic episode on her way to the golf club.
Lee wrote that “every mile I came closer to the race course, the more anxiety my body felt.” My face was dripping with tears and I couldn’t see. I felt like I was drowning. The emotions became so overwhelming, I considered driving into the concrete barrier of the interstate. I would have rather been in the hospital then have to compete and tee-off. At that moment, I felt safe anywhere but the golf course.
Lee was pushed to the edge of despair by the pressure to win at LPGA.
In 2023 Lee was closer than ever before to achieving her lifelong dream. While she didn’t reach her goal, the fact that she finished runner-up at her last three tournaments left her feeling refreshed. Lee’s best game is yet to come.
Lee said, “I haven’t achieved any of the dreams I had nine years ago when I became a professional.”
“I’m sure I would like to continue my career if it started now, at 28 years old. “I still have many goals that Alison had when she was 19 and turned professional. I want to achieve all of the things she hoped to accomplish.”
Alison Lee, of the United States, plays her shot on the third tee at the CME Group Tour Championship, which takes place in Naples, Florida, on November 18, 2023. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images).
Duncan, 32, won the NGCA national player of the year as a Duke junior. She was named to the first team of All-Americans for all four seasons, and she earned LPGA membership shortly after graduation.
Duncan would tell her younger self to focus on the journey rather than the end goal if she could go back in time 10 years.
Duncan laughed and said, “She wouldn’t get it.”
Duncan is still astonished by the thrill of competition. She loves to travel to Asia for tournaments. She is hitting farther and feeling healthy enough to continue the grind.
Duncan, who started the year 2023 without a sponsor or a status, thought about her next chapter, in case things didn’t go according to plan. She didn’t plan out the details, but she did come to this conclusion. “I’m going be okay.”
(Photo by Yoshimasa Nakano/Getty Images) Lindy Duncan, of the United States, hits her tee-shot on the 10th green during the second round at the TOTO Japan Classic on November 3, 2023 in Omitama Ibaraki, Japan. (Photo by Yoshimasa Nkano/Getty Images).
She felt at peace, and she was able to make a decision.
The feelings of satisfaction and joy are universal.
The journeys of those who have triumphed in the year 2023 should be an inspiration for those about to give up.
Lilia Vu might be almost done with her law degree by now.
