Golf is cruel.

Whirling winds. A big pond ahead. She hit it short from the tee, ball caught in the water. Repeated. She thought, “not the same mistake again,” but she compensated with a bit too much left spin which led the ball to the water hazard on the side of the fairway.

Nine shots, and finally on. She then used two attempts on the green to terminate the disaster.

Shih Cheng-Hsuan (石澄璇) needed eleven shots to walked out from the par-5 12th. “I looked to the scoreboard and saw Babe (Liu, 劉嬿) scored an eagle on that hole. And I was whispering to myself, that’s rough, it is an eight-shot difference!” Shih said. “Look on the bright side. I believe that was as many water shots as one can get. I probably won’t have to face a water penalty again in quite some time.”

Taiwan Mobile ambassador Hsu Wei-Ling (徐薇淩) left the week with another top-10 finish. But talking about the cruelty of golf, she said, “the toughest part is, being a professional player, the most important thing is to play well, that’s for sure, but there are so much more going on around the life of a pro golfer that can be hugely distracting and frustrating sometimes, especially on the financial part,” the LPGA Tour member told the reporter. “Travel expenses, hotel fee, caddies’ rate, registration, and some daily costs. I spend $4,000 U.S. dollars in a regular tournament week on the LPGA Tour, which would be pure loss if you don’t make the cut and win some prize money.”

For that reason, Hsu started in September a trial relationship to have her brother as her full-time manager, hoping she would have adequate time and space to concentrate simply on golf. “I’m really excited about the 2020 season, not just because I have big expectation for myself on the LPGA Tour, but because it’s Olympic year. I look forward to being part of the Chinese Taipei team and doing well in Tokyo.”

The end of the Taiwan Mobile Ladies Open means also that Ms. Cheng Mei-Chi will step down her three-year long position as the TLPGA chairwoman. Former TLPGA leader Liu Yi-Chen will serve in her place. “I hope more people in Taiwan enjoy women’s golf more than they used to. Our crew made their best effort to market the tournaments and bring spectators in, free of charge. The aim was to allow people to see the beauty of golf, not just in players’ skill but for how majestic a golf course look,” Cheng said. “I’m still constantly amazed by the natural beauty of how a golf course is built on the picturesque landscapes. Families can spend some quality time in a golf event as well. It’s just something more people should see and in the long run, I wish more people will love the sport as much as we do.”