Wow! What a season it has been! As always, every year is filled with mixed emotions and ups and downs…but I would like to think this season has had a lot more positive things to talk about!!
Firstly, I would like to start by thanking everyone who has supported me this year; the continuous texts, tweets and emails week in week out and, from some of you, round by round, truly never go unnoticed, and as I’ve said before they make travelling a whole lot easier, especially when things aren’t going to plan!!
Some massive personal thanks must also go to David Pitts of DP Publicity for making this year possible. Without his support from start to finish this season would not have been what it has! Not just as a main sponsor but as a friend he has been unbelievable!
The support from Woodsome Hall has again been brilliant. The members and the club have been fantastic throughout the whole season and I must also acknowledge the support from my friends back at Crosland Heath – right from my amateur days they have been behind me and continue to support me all the way!
It’s my 9th season with Stromberg, a brand that is continuing to go from strength to strength, and to be associated with a Huddersfield-based company and fly the flag for so long with them has been great; for 9 years I’ve been made to feel part of this family business!
Chris Taylor and all the sponsors involved in the Arrow car sponsorship – you know how much of a help it is! Thank you, and again I hope you enjoyed the golf day and I look forward to welcoming you all back to Woodsome again next year.
Taylormade and Titleist have been brilliant this year! I switched to Taylormade around May and their product support has been world class! Titleist, as always, have been amazing with the ball, shoe and glove contract I am on…and to get my hands on my own Scotty Cameron this year has fulfilled a childhood dream of mine!
THE GOLF SEASON…
After a great winter again, I always seem to come out of the blocks well! And this year was no exception…A good trip to Kenya, and Spain on the main tour, set me up to go onto a solid 7th place in Turkey, which boosted me up the rankings.
An early season slump then set me back quite a bit, and after a few missed cuts I was honestly starting to question myself…money was very tight and I was not sure how long I could continue!
But sometimes this game does some strange things to us…and many of us perform best when our backs are against the wall! This seemed to be the case and after some deep conversations with Laura, my Mum, my manager and Mark my coach, I then went on to lead Open Qualifier and earn a place in the 2014 Open Championship.
And to back that up I flew last minute to Germany and produced my best result on the CT with a 3rd place, and actually had a great chance to win the event!
So out of the blue, nothing had really changed, I was still working hard but all of a sudden the bank balance looked slightly more respectable and I was off again with a spring in my step!
THE OPEN
Playing at Hoylake and teeing up with the best players in the world, and sharing the experience with my close family and friends, was amazing! My game was not great but I would not change any of my preparation when I play my next Open Championship… I have no regrets!
The first tee experience was incredible, spine tingling and quite overwhelming at times! Here is a link to my first tee shot for those of you who have not seen it…
I missed a few cuts after the Open but soon got back on track and really did finish the season strong. I made all the cuts in my last 8 events, qualified for the big money events in China and Oman, and after a 6th and 12th in my last two events climbed the OOM to 53rd.
That was a great achievement! I kept my CT card for 2015 and climbed the world rankings to a career high 608th!
Throughout the year I also played 7 events on the European Tour and made 5 cuts out there, my highest finish being T39th in Denmark. That stat in itself gives me great belief that I can compete with the best and after another good winter under my belt I’m excited at the opportunities 2015 will bring!
I think the above sums up my main golfing highlights for 2014, so that only leaves me to introduce the biggest highlight of the year for me and my family!!!
Olivia Eleanor Hanson
What an amazing Christmas we have to look forward to! It’s tough spending so much time away from my family throughout the year, but now having a quality three months with them sure makes up for it!!!!
Thank you all again for making the year possible, and I look forward to sharing next year’s experience on Tour with you all again!
Keep in touch
Chris