Continued from Ladies Who Golf….Ryann O’Toole (age 29) talks about what she loves most about traveling and how she keeps focused on good and bad days.
California native Ryann O’Toole. She holds the course record at Colwood Golf Club in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, with a 66.
Which countries did you play in during the past year (2015)?
I played in the Bahamas, Canada, France, Malaysia, China and Japan.
What do you enjoy most about travel?
The best thing about traveling is experiencing the vast variety of culture in each country. Being submerged into that country’s culture for a week is so much fun. I love meeting new people, trying different foods and exploring the reasons for what makes that place so special. Every destination seems to have a reason why people have chosen to live there and I love getting to see exactly what that is!
Do you get enough time to go out and explore the local culture?
I would never say we get enough time, but not many sports get to stay in a place for a week. I’ll take the time I can get and make the most of it. Aside from the obvious tourist destinations, I think exploring the local food and restaurants is the best way to view a culture.
What have been some of your most insightful moments of 2015?
Some of my most insightful moments of 2015 include understanding the real value of one golf shot at a time, learning to be happy with slow and steady growth, and that with each day comes with new feels, thoughts, challenges and outcomes. It is vital for a player to stay in the moment and keep the mind present and focused on the shot at hand. I see this as the key to scoring low rounds, or keeping bad days of play under control. I finally became content with this process and watching myself slowly get better week by week. What helped was seeing the consistency increase each day. Low rounds were happening more often, and on not-so-good days I kept under control. My coach Jorge Parada really helped me understand this process.
A good example is a moment from the 2015 CME Group Tour Championship. On hole 9 in my second round, I was five under and playing solid and very steady. I carded a nine on a par 4, costing me to go from five under to even par. All the great work I had done, all the momentum I was building was gone in one hole! This truly tested my ability to stay focused on the shot at hand. When I made the turn and teed up on hole 10, I knew in order to keep my round going I had to focus back into the moment. I managed to stay focused and was able to shoot two under on the back nine. Although I was not happy with the overall score of the round, I was able to recover and keep myself in the race.
I also found in 2015 that each event your body feels different, not only each event, but each day. Not every day is going to be perfect and with that comes acceptance. The best players are the ones who can go out on the course and make the most of the playing ability they have that day. They find a way to get the job done, regardless of how they feel. This is the true test of any athlete who competes day in and day out and wants to win.
When you are on Tour, how do you maintain a healthy lifestyle?
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle really boils down to self-discipline and asking yourself how badly you want to become the best. On the road it is easy to look at a menu and pick the less healthy choice, or say yes to dessert. I work hard in the gym and enjoy the feeling of being healthy, so for me it isn’t hard to stay healthy on the road. The LPGA makes sure to provide us with healthy breakfast and lunch options each week as well. The LPGA is also great with providing a gym trailer that follows us around from week to week. It just takes time to create a routine and keep up healthy habits when you travel on the road.
What do you like most about golf?
I love golf for everything it gives me. The Competition, camaraderie, ability to travel and see the world and meeting people everywhere we go is an amazing experience. It is a lifelong sport that I can play until the day I stop walking. There is nothing about golf that I don’t like.
Besides golf, what are your other passions?
When I am not golfing, you can find me at the beach. I love to surf so when I take vacations, it is to places I can surf. Golfing is my passion, but surfing is my hobby. It is the one place where I can mentally check out and allow myself to get fully consumed with that current moment. Alone in the water, it is a place where I have absolutely no control and that feeling is euphoric.
Do you play for any charities? If so which ones, and why?
Yes, I play for PHIT America. It is an organization that’s setup to bring awareness to the obesity problem we have in the United States. The goal is to main provide knowledge and information for the public to learn what is good and bad for their bodies.
Click here to read part 3 of this post.
If you are inspired to play golf around the world, join Go Eat Give’s 3rd annual charity golf fundraiser on November 7, 2016 at Laurel Springs golf club in Suwanee, Georgia.
