Laura Beveridge hopes 'monkey business' can help her shine in Kenya
Laura Beveridge is hoping some ‘monkey business’ can help take her mind off the stressful side of golf as the Scot bids to make a strong start to the new Ladies European Tour season.
Beveridge, who is embarking on her 12th campaign in the paid ranks, joins Kelsey MacDonald in flying the Saltire in the Magical Kenya Ladies Open at Vipingo Ridge, where the course sits alongside a wildlife sanctuary.
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Hide Ad“Oh, it’s so cool,” said Beveridge of the venue for the season-opener, which starts on Thursday. “We actually just saw some monkeys on the ninth tee, where they were just chilling. It’s nice that you can have these moments as golf can be so stressful and these sorts of moments can capture your attention elsewhere.
“It’s exciting to see the wildlife up close and I had that great opportunity last year when I did a photoshoot alongside the zebras and the giraffes. I’ve actually yet to see them, but I’ve seen loads of monkeys and they are just as cool. It’s very special.”
Weather-wise, it’s also a bit different to what Beveridge is used to back home in Aberdeenshire at this time of the year. “It’s very hot and humid but, fortunately, I’ve not just come straight here from Scotland as I was in Abu Dhabi last week staying with a friend. It wasn’t that hot there. It was like 21-22 degrees and we had a good wind so it didn’t ever feel that hot,” she said.
Beveridge has made the trip with her husband/coach/caddie Keil and she admitted: “We’ve been taking it easy here. We are trying to manage things and not be silly by hitting too many balls. We are trying to be more intense with my practise but in shorter spells.”
The former Scottish Women’s champion only just clung on to her card at the end of last season, meaning her category for this season is below the 20 Qualifying School graduates.
“If I finish in the top ten this week, that would get me into Saudi (next week’s $5 million Aramco Series event in Riyadh) and then I am currently third reserve for Morocco, so I am hopeful there’s a good chance to get in there,” she said.
“This week we are just looking to see where the game is. It’s more a test to see where we are at course management wise. I’ve been working really hard with my husband Keil swing-wise, so it’s more about trying to gauge where we are at. But, if we can get off to a hot start, that would help as we have a re-rank after Germany and that would gain me access into the tournaments in the next third of the season, including the Scottish Open, which would be really cool.
“We’ve been doing a lot of work on my pitching, so that’s a work in progress. We have had the same theme swing-wise for the last three years and it’s just kind of keeping on top of that. It’s good having him on my bag as he’s also my coach and he can see instantly if the changes are working and if they are applicable under pressure.”
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