Changing Times – with Olivia Cowan

With global golf going through plenty of changes, how have you seen the ladies game adapt?
I’d say it’s definitely progressed since I came on tour. Obviously, the LPGA has always been strong and the LET with the help of Aramco, has become a lot bigger. We are getting a lot more world stars coming to the Aramco events which helps both tours and it helps the girls as well. They get to see how good they are on the LPGA and it gives them a little bit of a boost to do better and to want to compete against the best in the world.

You used to hear some girls being like, “Oh why are the LPGA girls coming over here playing in these Aramco events?”
Um, you want to compete against the best in the world. So you should see it as a challenge.

That’s how I’ve always seen it. But thankfully I think most of them have seen it as a good thing now which is positive.

You’ve recently focused on more speed and strength training with your golf, is that for a specific reason?
Well, I think in my game I’ve always hit it quite straight and that’s been one of my strengths. But when it comes to distance, I’ve not been short, but I was just quite average. I’ve now realised, especially playing on the LPGA Tour, that I needed more distance to reach the par fives because it is just such an advantage. So hence why last year in March 2023, I then tried to get a lot stronger to just get that speed and hit it further. I’m definitely seeing results and hitting it further, which is good!

I guess that’s just one small part of the way game is evolving?
Yeah definitely, I think nowadays you have to. It prevents injuries for one. It keeps you fitter. It keeps you mentally more stable on the course. Especially when you are dealing with hot conditions and hilly courses, it’s just good when your fitness is on another level to then be able to compete at the top.

Are there specific things you do to build that speed and strength?
My coach makes programs and sessions for me and I always include quite a lot of jumps into my sessions. They can be weighted jumps or just normal jumps because that’s what basically gives me the force, which is what I need in my swing to get that speed. Then obviously a lot of weights, Romanian deadlifts, squats, Bulgarian split squats that kind of thing, and a lot of pull-ups!

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Being a member of both the LPGA and LET is obviously tough. Is it a bit of a blessing in disguise having to balance the two of them?
I didn’t really expect to go back to the LPGA last season because the first time I went over I didn’t enjoy it. I got injured, so I was out of playing anyway, but I eventually went back and still didn’t enjoy it. So I just said, “I’m going to go back to the LET and I’m going to play where I feel my best.” I know there is decent money on the LPGA Tour, but money isn’t everything to me. It’s just fun to play golf and enjoy it and I just wasn’t enjoying it anymore. So I decided to do that. I kept my card on the LET and continued playing there until August. I played the British Open and got a top ten there and then I got a top five in Northern Ireland the week after so I got a lot of points back on the LPGA. Then I was like “Ooo, I’ll try and give it a second chance and see how I like it. If I don’t like it, I can go back onto the LET.” 

So, I did go back, played well and met a lot more people, socialised a lot more with new people, so it was a lot more enjoyable.

It’s funny you say that, because we hear in the men’s game with the Europeans who struggle in the states with there not being much camaraderie over there. Is that the same with the ladies’ game?
Yeah, it’s a lot more intense. Everyone has their team around them, whereas on the LET it’s everyone just by themselves. So, their team is then their friends. But on the LPGA, you have your coach, physio, caddy, so you don’t need to mingle with a lot of people which I found quite hard.

Plus I had a local caddie the first time around, I didn’t have a full-time caddie. But the second time around I was a lot more prepared, I had a good professional caddie and I kind of knew what I was expecting. So I felt like it was a lot easier for me. It’s just different. You need to adapt.

Golf Saudi would be one of those factors that supports you through your progression.
Since they’ve come into the game, I think they’ve shown the world that the women’s game is really good and our skills are just as good as the men’s. They’ve really come in and tried to “up” everything that we had before on the LET. From bigger grandstands to the way they take care of us. The LPGA players that come over, they say every single Aramco event is set up as a major because they take such good care of us. So, it’s nice to see someone coming in and wanting to do that for us. I think they’ve not had that for a long time, so they really believe in us and it’s just great to have their support.

Moving on to your partner, Todd Clements. How does the work/life/relationship balance between the two of you flow with both living busy lives and being in the same profession?
I think we cope quite well with it really. We both understand what it’s like to travel and to deal with the emotions on and off the course. We both have a good understanding of it. Someone who doesn’t play golf might not understand why you’re feeling that certain way after a round of golf, but I guess we do and we just give each other a bit of space and know what words to say to cheer the other one up. With the travel, we work our schedules around each other. I’ll either go to one of his events or he’ll maybe come to one of mine or we try and have the same off weeks. It doesn’t always work, but we do see each other quite a lot, so it actually works out quite well.

Is 2024 a big season for Olivia Cowan?
I’m not really a massive goal-setter. Every year I don’t have one goal. Just through the years, I’ll say, “At the moment, this is my goal.” I don’t pressurise myself to make these goals. But this year my “goal” is the Olympics, which has always been a goal of mine. Make The Solheim Cup, hopefully, that will work. And then a win on the LPGA. And then a win on the LET. Let’s throw a Major win in there as well! Haha! No, but the Olympics and The Solheim Cup are the main ones.

Main image: The watch Olivia is wearing is the Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Titanium Diamonds 42mm. Hublot

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