There’s something deeply special about seeing the AIG Women’s Open come to Wales. To have one of the biggest events in women’s golf played at Royal Porthcawl—on home soil—is huge. I sadly won’t be working there this year, as I’ll be commentating at the Legends Tour’s Staysure PGA Seniors Championship, but I’ll be keeping an eye on it for sure!

Porthcawl has always had a place in my heart. It’s one of my favourite courses in the world: a proper links layout, open and exposed, where the wind can change everything. It’s a course that demands creativity, patience, and precision—and it’s about to test the best women players in the world.

I’ve played there plenty of times, and when the conditions turn, it’s no joke. The course’s biggest defence is the weather, without a doubt. When the wind is up, there’s nowhere to hide. And then there are the pot bunkers—plenty of them—waiting to catch anything even slightly offline.

But it isn’t just a big week for the players, it’s a big week for Welsh golf. We’ve hosted great events before, of course, but this is different. This is a women’s major. It’s a moment to put Welsh golf on the map, to show that we have world-class courses, passionate fans, and a deep love for the game.

Amy Boulden. Supplied

So I hope this week inspires others, especially young girls. I still remember going to watch this tournament with my parents when I was little. Seeing the best players in the world up close planted the seed that made me want to become a professional golfer. I can only imagine how powerful that same experience will be for the next generation watching in Wales.

Even though I’ve now retired from playing professionally, I’m really proud to be involved in various golf broadcasting. While I do miss the competitive side, I’m genuinely enjoying this new chapter. Getting to walk the course, watch the action up close, and bring that to viewers at home is a new kind of challenge—but one I’m embracing. It’s given me a front-row seat to the incredible level of talent especially in the women’s game right now.

Of course, I’d have loved to be there at Porthcawl. You never really lose that buzz during a major week. But instead, I’ll be cheering on the Welsh players who make the field and soaking up what promises to be an unforgettable week for our country, our course, and our sport.

Amy Boulden is a former LET professional player, turned on-course commentator.

Main image: David Cannon/Getty Images

This article was featured in the July 2025 issue of Golf Digest Middle East. Click here for a digital issue of the full magazine

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The post Porthcawl Perspective – Amy Boulden shares what it means to see a women’s major arrive on home soil appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

This month, all eyes turn to Royal Portrush as we build up to the 153rd Open Championship. From Xander Schauffele’s stunning victory 12 months ago at Royal Troon to Tommy Fleetwood’s unfinished business on Northern Irish soil in 2019, this is your ultimate preview of golf’s oldest major.

We go inside the ropes with Dubai-based coach Liam James, who shares his unique preparation for this year’s championship. We also explore why Portrush stands apart as one of the most distinctive tests in the Open rota. Plus, Edoardo Molinari returns with a breakdown of the key skills needed to lift the Claret Jug.

Elsewhere, we shine a light on the ISPS HANDA Senior Open at Sunningdale, and catch up with Amy Boulden as she explains why the AIG Women’s Open is a milestone moment for both women’s and Welsh golf.

And if you’re thinking about your own game, don’t miss our look at how club-fitting, led by eGolf Megastore, is giving amateurs across the GCC a serious edge.

All this and plenty more in the July 2025 edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

The issue is again free to our loyal audience. You can scroll through the ISSUU link provided here or download it to your favourite device for later. Alternatively, pick up a copy at your favourite golf club. Whatever option you take, we hope you enjoy the read.

The post Get your FREE 2025 July edition of Golf Digest Middle East here! appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Golf Saudi’s stable of high-profile ambassadors has a new dynamic duo.

Swede Anna Nordqvist and sweet-swinging Dutchwoman Anne van Dam were unveiled as the latest international ambassadors as the inaugural $1 million Aramco Saudi Ladies International began on Thursday.

They join fellow LET stars Amy Boulden and Camilla Lennarth, as well as Spanish European Tour players, Adri Arnaus and Pablo Larrazabal in promoting the Saudi Golf Federation’s efforts to sell the Kingdom as a golfing destination.

Van Dam, a five-time LET winner, is renowned as one of the longest drivers in the game of women’s golf. She led the category for driving on the LET in both 2017 and 2018, and currently ranks second in average driving distance during the current 2020 season.

“It is great to be in Saudi Arabia over the next fortnight and be able to experience a new environment and culture,” said van Dam who won the ActewAGL Canberra Classic in 2019 and earned a maiden appearance on the successful European Solheim Cup team that defeated the USA 14 ½ – 13 ½ at Gleneagles, Scotland.

“It is always a great feeling to visit new countries and play new golf courses with the LET and by becoming a Golf Saudi ambassador, I will have the opportunity to help grow the game of golf for women in the country, therefore helping Golf Saudi achieve its goals of increasing female participation.”

Since turning professional in 2008, Nordqvist has racked up eight LPGA Tour and three LET titles and won her second major at the Evian Championship in 2017.

“I feel honoured to join the Golf Saudi team as one of their latest ambassadors and I am keen to use this opportunity to grow the game of golf for women in the Kingdom,” said Nordqvist.

Anna Nordqvist

“I believe in being a role model for women and young girls all over the world and hopefully us playing here will inspire them and show them what is possible. It is incredible to be here this week and I feel excited to have the opportunity to play in the inaugural Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by PIF.”

Said Majed Al Sorour, CEO of Golf Saudi: “We are privileged to be able to appoint two of the Ladies European Tour’s top players as official Golf Saudi Ambassadors.

“Anna and Anne have committed to our vision of growing the game of golf for women in the Kingdom and we are lucky to have them on board to support our ongoing development. We are excited to see both of them play at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club and look forward to developing a strong working partnership in order to attract young female Saudis to the game.”

More from the 2020 Aramco Saudi Ladies International
• Georgia fires course record 65 as not one, but two Halls head Saudi leaderboard
• Golf Saudi unveil sustainability strategy
• Global broadcast of LET doubleheader “chance to show the world Saudi is…transforming through” golf
• Hull and Hall ready to kick on in the Kingdom
• Ladies First: Why Saudi’s LET double-header is more than just historic week of pro golf
• Charley Hull: Is that all you’ve got, 2020?

The post Anne van Dam and Anna Nordqvist join Golf Saudi stable appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

We have two spots to giveaway in the Motivate Media Group team (regional publishers of Golf Digest Middle East) set to participate in the Nov. 4-6 day-night event. That’s right, two lucky readers, one male and one female, will tackle the tricky Faldo layout at Emirates Golf Club in a team to be captained by one of the event’s 56 professionals.

Entry is as simple as filling in your details below and clicking submit. The only condition is that you are available to play on both Nov. 4 and 5 before the pros, including former world No.1 Lydia Ko, British Open champion Georgia Hall and English LPGA Tour star Charley Hull, complete the final round of the 54-hole event solo.

The OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic will be played behind closed doors in 2020 due to health and safety precautions but here’s your chance to not only gain access to the tournament but get inside the ropes for a once-in-a-lifetime Pro-Am experience.

Entries close at noon on Tuesday, Oct. 27. The winner will be notified immediately after the random draw.

[gravityform id=”55″ title=”false” description=”false” ]

Good luck!

The post WIN! Here’s your chance to tee it up in the OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 27-year-old from Wales could easily have walked away from a game which earned her star status as a junior. The thing is, chiselling out a standout amateur CV is no guarantee to success in the paid ranks.

RELATED: Swedish teen Julia Engström hopes to inspire next gen at OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic

So it proved for Boulden who won three Home Internationals, represented Europe in the PING Junior Solheim Cup and won the BBC Wales Young Sportswoman of the Year as a junior.

There was quick success after she turned professional at 21 with victory at the Association Suisse de Golf Ladies Open and Ladies European Tour (LET) Rookie-of-the-Year honours on the back of 12 cuts in 16 starts.

But as a LET breakthrough win continued to elude her, Boulden made friends with self-doubt like so many in the pro ranks. A failed attempt at a LPGA Tour card didn’t help and culminated in Boulden losing her LET status at the end of last season.

A reboot was required and Boulden, thankfully, is proof of the old cliché about form being temporary and class permanent.

In January, she not only regained her LET card but did it in style by capturing medallist honours at Q-School at the La Manga Club in Spain. The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic put a serious spanner in the works but undaunted, Boulden went on to storm to victory in the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open in a playoff for her maiden LET victory in May.

Boulden is currently fifth on the Race to Costa del Sol European rankings and is doubly determined to make the most of her breakout season at the $285,000, 54-hole Moonlight Classic.

“It’s obviously been a few tough years but since regaining my tour card, I’ve been focused in 2020 on just ensuring at each and every tournament that I put myself in contention,” said Boulden.

“I am really happy with how I’ve handled the pressure so far this year and how I’ve shown killer instinct when I’ve needed to. I’m looking forward to playing in Dubai next month and putting myself in these positions more often, as this is where I want my game to be.”

In its second season as the rebranded OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic, the event has been switched from May to November after achieving global recognition as the world’s first professional day-night tour event last year.

Formerly the OMEGA Dubai Ladies Masters, the emirate’s LET stop was first played in 2006. Annika Sorenstam, a two-time winner, Lexi Thompson and four-time champion Shanshan Feng, highlight an impressive roll-call of champions.

The post Emboldened Amy ready to shine at OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Given how quickly the year has spiralled out of control for golf events around the world, it would have been easy for Saudi Arabia to give up on plans to host its historic women’s event and reset for 2021.

Welsh star Amy Boulden says the Ladies European Tour’s (LET) membership are indebted the Kingdom have not only avoided such a fate but doubled down on their commitment to the women’s game.

The Saudi Golf Federation and Golf Saudi have announced what is being billed as a “landmark LET golf week” next month. It will be headlined by the US$1 million Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by PIF from November 12-15 and followed two days later at Royal Greens Golf Club near Jeddah by a three-day teams event.

The November 17-19 Saudi Ladies Team International will involve a Pro-Am component and bring the total purse for the week to $1.5 million.

Fresh from winning the Swiss Ladies Open in September for her LET breakthrough, Boulden says it is huge news for LET players, many of whom will tee it up in the US$285,000 OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic earlier in November before heading to King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC).

“This type of commitment to women’s golf is really amazing to see at this time,” said the 27-year-old. “It’s given players another massive week to look forward to competing in and allows us to take the game we love to a new country where we can play on what is a truly incredible golf course with one of the most picturesque views you’ll see on tour.”

The Saudi Ladies International, originally planned for March and rescheduled to October due to the coronavirus outbreak before finding the latest November date in the calendar, will be the LET’s third highest paying event in 2020 behind the Women’s (British) Open and Scottish Open. Organisers are promising a “safe bio-secure environment” at both tournaments in KAEC.

Boulden (centre) hopes to inspire more young Saudis into playing golf

“To throw their weight behind two events in one week is a really significant gesture from a country I know is passionate about growing golf, and I can’t wait to get out there playing.”

The tournaments mark the return of large-scale international sporting events to Saudi Arabia as part of the country’s Vision 2030 socio-economic blueprint which has targeted high-level sport as a means of inspiring the Kingdom’s next generation.

His Excellency Yasir O. Al-Rumayyan, Chairman of the Saudi Golf Federation and tournament organiser Golf Saudi, is delighted to have finally locked in the historic week.

“As we all know the first half of this year has been extremely trying on businesses, organisations and nations worldwide, with sport affected greatly,” he said. “However, we are thankful to both PIF and Aramco – who are equally determined to give elite level sport the platform to continue to flourish, both here in Saudi Arabia and abroad, and never more so than now – which makes us proud to be throwing our full weight behind both the Saudi Ladies International and the Saudi Ladies Team International.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Majed Al Sorour, CEO of Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation. “Our vision is to grow golf across the Kingdom, and make it both accessible and enjoyable to all men, women and children,” said Al Sorour. “One of our key initiatives for this is hosting tournaments capable of drawing the world’s best players as a means of inspiring the next generation of young Saudis and Saudi golfers, so it is a great honour to be taking our next step on that journey by welcoming the Ladies European Tour to the Kingdom for October’s debut Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by PIF and the Saudi Ladies Team International.”

The post “This type of commitment to women’s golf is really amazing at this time” appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Major champion and Solheim Cup star Georgia Hall is the first marque name unveiled for ground-breaking Saudi Ladies International.

The 23-year-old Englishwoman, a two-time European No.1, will be joined by another member of last year’s triumphant Solheim Cup team at Gleneagles, Spaniard Azahara Muñoz, at the $1 million event at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club from March 19-22.

Fellow former Ladies European Tour (LET) No.1 Beth Allen (USA), decorated South African Lee-Anne Pace, Wales’ Amy Boulden, Swede Camilla Lennarth and rising Thai star Atthaya Thitikul are other familiar names confirmed for the inaugural championship in King Abdullah Economic City near Jeddah.

Hall became the first Englishwoman in 14 years to capture the Women’s British Open in 2018 and won four out of four points in Europe’s 14½-13½ upset at Gleneagles – the first time Team USA had been beaten in six years.

The Bournemouth-born player cannot wait to be part of history in what will be the first female professional event in the Kingdom.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be part of the first Saudi Ladies International and make golfing history in the country,” said Hall who captured the LET Order of Merit and ‘Player of the Year’ honours in both 2017 and 2018.    

“From what I’ve seen of the golf course it looks a stunning set-up on the Red Sea and a pretty challenging test – it’s a brilliant chance for us to showcase our game to newcomers to golf.”

Muñoz contributed 2.5 of a possible five points to the European cause at the last Solheim Cup. Together with Thitikul, a two-time winner on the LET at just 17 years of age, and the experienced Pace, who has 12 worldwide victories to her name, the 32-year-old Spaniard is sure to be among those to push Hall hardest at KAEC.

The Saudi Ladies Championship is part of Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation’s inclusion and equality remit and under the Kingdom’s ‘Vision 2030’ socio-economic revitalisation project. It comes after Royal Greens hosted the second Saudi International earlier this month where former major champion Graeme McDowell captured his first European Tour title since 2014 and pushed his world ranking from 104 to 47.

Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in KAEC.

“Hosting another prestigious championship in Saudi Arabia adds to an exciting golf calendar for fans in the region and with top female golfers from around the world coming to compete it is sure to excite in what is the first time we are seeing elite female golfers compete in the country,” said His Excellency Yasir bin Othman Al-Rumayyan, Chairman of Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation, looking ahead to next month’s first-ever tournament.

“The championship is open for everybody to attend throughout the four days and I’d encourage everybody to go along, watch world-class sport and enjoy the sport and entertainment on offer.”

For more information on the Saudi Ladies International, click here.

They Said it…
Amy Boulden
“Our game continues to break new ground and coming to new places like Saudi Arabia for the first time shows the ambition of Golf Saudi and the Tour.  I want to play well in a big event that can give me some momentum for the season.”

Camilla Lennarth
“Playing golf in front of new fans is the best way to grow the game and hopefully we inspire more girls to pick up a golf club and get involved in our great sport so I hope to see many people at the Championship next month.”

The post Georgia Hall confirmed for $1 million Saudi International appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Fret not if you weren’t one of the fortunate few invited to the official opening of the Middle East’s first Leadbetter Golf Academy at JA The Resort Golf Course on Monday.

Sure, you missed quite the show as former Ryder Cupper Rafa Cabrera Bello ripped drivers deep into the newly extended range at the remodelled Jebel Ali nine-holer before Ladies European Tour stars Amy Boulden and Oliver Cowan wowed with a series of pure mid-iron swings and pin-point wedge shots respectively.

But David Leadbetter was the undoubted star of the clinic and shared one particular tip that you can try at home.

What the world renowned, England-born, South African-raised and U.S.-based coach wishes every amateur would do is to check the glove currently in their golf bag. Chances are there’s a worn patch in the palm of said glove, if not a gaping hole. If so, your grip, dear amateur, needs urgent attention.

Rafa Cabrera Bello launches into a drive.

“The biggest fundamental problem people have is the grip, it’s as simple as that,” Leadbetter said at the opening of his 40th academy worldwide and eighth in 2018 alone, a network now spanning 15 countries.

“Ninety percent of amateur golfers grip the club incorrectly and by that I mean, most amateurs, a right handed golfer, they grip the club too much in the palm of the left hand. Any golfer that wears a hole out in the glove, you can be certain that is their issue.

“And from there steams a whole host of errors. One of my favourite sayings – Ben Hogan coined the phrase many a year ago –  is ‘Good golf begins with a good grip.

“The way you place the hands on the club, controls the club. Yes, the body moves and the power comes from your body but it goes through your arms and your hands and finally into the club, so if your hands are in the wrong position, first of all the club doesn’t swing, you have to forcibly get the club swinging.”

Leadbetter shared another one of his “pet sayings” as the freebie lesson continued.

LET star Olivia Cowan showed a deft touch with her sand wedge.

“The dog wags the tail, the tail does not wag the dog. Meaning that the body actually controls the swing but if you’re going to control the swing you’ve got to grip it properly.

“You see time after time how players grip it up in the palm, wear a hole out in their glove, create so much tension, they lock their shoulders in, their upper body and arms, create the movement back, create the movement down and before you know it , you haven’t got a swing, you’ve got a hit.”

If you find exhibit A on your glove, Leadbetter now has a solution in Dubai. They come in the form of JA The Resort Golf Course’s long-serving head pro Stuart Fee who has just completed his Leadbetter Academy accreditation and former European and Asian Tour pro Yasin Ali who is part way through his.

But with so many big name coaching academies in the emirate now, what will set Jebel Ali apart?

“I’ve been doing this for a long time now so we’ve got certain protocols we follow that enable us to get to the root cause of the problem in a very short space of time,” Leadbetter said.

“I think if you’re going to play golf you should do it to the best of your ability and there is a distinct lack of understanding about how you can play this game at a higher level and fulfil your potential. So our goal really is to help people understand their game and give them a plan for future improvement as well.”

That help extends to even the youngest, budding Rafa’s, Amy’s or Olivia’s across Dubai.

“We’ve got some neat plans for starting a ‘Leadbetter Kids’ program looking at kids from a very young age which we’re starting to do all over the world now. Lots of academies work with your older juniors and your older golfers but very few really focus on the really young kids, the say, four to 10 year olds which if you can establish the passion and the seed of success at a young age, you’re going to capture them for life in some form or shape.”

Chances are, the grip will form a very significant part of any early learning at Jebel Ali.

The post David Leadbetter wants you to get a (proper) grip as he opens his first Middle East academy in Dubai appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The defending Women’s British Open champion will lead the third threesome off the 10th tee on Wednesday morning in the opening round of the $500,000 Ladies European Tour season-ender at Emirates G.C. after the first round groupings were unveiled today.

Jodi Ewart Shadoff and fellow Englishwoman Sophie Lamb, who won low amateur honours as Kim clinched the British Open at Kingsbarns Links in July, make up the 7.30am group.

Kim, 29, won the 2009 Classic – then Omega Dubai Ladies Masters – and is out to emulate inaugural and back-to-back champion Annika Sörenstam (2006 and 2007) and absent four-time defending champion Shanshan Feng (2012, ‘14, ‘15, ‘16) as a multiple winner.

Having already sealed the LET’s money title, England’s Georgia Hall is off the 1st tee at 11.35am in a marquee group including 2016 runner-up Charley Hull and last season’s Player of the Year Beth Allen.

Dame Laura Davies, European Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew and 2016 European team rookie Florentyna Parker are off 10 minutes later while the spotlight will also be on two-time major champion Brittany Lincicome  (11.55am) and reigning LET Rookie of the Year and Fatima Bint Mybarak Ladies Open champion Aditi Ashok (12.15pm) who are also set off the 1st tee.

Crowd-favourite Carly Booth is off the 10th tee at 12.05pm while Golf Digest Middle East’s December cover star Amy Boulden will begin her bid for a maiden LET title at 11.15am from the Majlis’ 1st tee.

South African Nicole Garcia and England’s Holly Clyburn will simultaneously hit the first shots of the 12th Omega Dubai Ladies Classic off the 1st and 10th tees at 7.10am respectively.

Norway’s two-time major champion Suzann Pettersen is a late withdrawal for what has been described as “personal medical reasons.”

The post British Open stars Kim and Lamb reunited for opening round of LET season-ender in Dubai appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

by Kent Gray
Amy Boulden’s feet barely touched the ground during a stellar amateur career. In 2008, the then 15-year-old was named BBC Wales’ Young Sportswoman of the Year after going unbeaten in singles as the mighty Red Dragon was raised in triumph for just the second time in 98 years of trying at the Ladies’ Home Internationals. The daughter of a prominent club pro, Boulden was also part of successful 2009 and 2013 teams, making her the only Welsh amateur, male or female, to win three Home International titles.

Individually she won the Scottish (2012), Welsh (2013) and English (2013) amateur titles and qualified for three Women’s British Open’s at Royal Birkdale, Hoylake and St Andrews. In 2010 she was selected for the Junior Ryder Cup, playing Alison Lee and a young whippersnapper named Jordan Spieth in one of her matches in the mixed format. Justin Thomas and Ollie Schniederjans were also part of the U.S. team that eventually edged a 13½-10½ win. Boulden also played in the historic 12-12 Junior Solheim Cup tie in 2011 and was part of the victorious Great Britain & Ireland Curtis Cup team at Nairn the following year.

Indeed, being Amy Boulden was one long joy ride and the fun continued after she turned professional. Straight off the bat she qualified for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst which proved the impetus to 2014 Rookie of the Year honours on the Ladies European Tour (LET), a dream run dotted with four top 10s including a runner-up finish at the Lacoste Ladies Open de France.

The girl from Llandudno, a coastal town in North Wales, had emulated legends like Laura Davies, Annika Sorenstam and another young upstart named Charley Hull. The LPGA Tour and major success suddenly beckoned and why not. There was nothing to suggest she couldn’t translate her amateur success into professional riches. Except, of course, golf doesn’t always work out how you hoped and imagined.

Tristan Jones

After finishing 18th on the LET moneylist in her rookie year, Boulden was 10th in 2015 but nosedived to 64th last season. As the results started to slide, so too did her confidence. Cast free of the Welsh national team safety net, she started to overthink her swing as the glory of her one professional victory, at the Association Suisse de Golf Ladies Open in May 2014 on the LET feeder tour, started to fade.

“My first year on tour was the best I had and I think that was probably because I didn’t really change anything,” says Boulden. “I had the same coaches in my amateur days. I played the same way, didn’t do anything differently, didn’t know any of the girls. I just went out there a little bit more fearless.

My first year on tour was the best I had and I think that was probably because I just went out there a little bit more fearless.

“When you’re in your amateur days, you have the national coach with you every week, you’ve got the other girls around you – you play as a team even thought its individual. You’ve got that support system. I think that’s what I’ve learned now turning pro, after these last four years, you’ve just got to have the right people around you and you’ve got to be as comfortable as you can on the golf course and off it.”

Boulden will arrive at Emirates Golf Club for the 12th Omega Dubai Ladies Classic this month slightly more comfortable with her place in the big scheme of things. She’s 38th on the 2017 moneylist following a topsy-turvy season that somewhat mirrors the LET’s own challenges, five straight missed cuts making way for T-4, T-16 and T-30 highlights in Thailand, Scotland an Abu Dhabi respectively.

She’s working hard with her new coach Paul Williams who just happens to be the Welsh amateur team coach. The safety net is back and Boulden repays the favour by training with the Welsh ams whenever she can.

At the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open at Saadiyat, Boulden had a new caddy, Mark Parry, on her bag and also enjoys rooming with former Curtis Cup team-mate Holy Clyburn whenever possible, perhaps because the Englishwoman is another reminder of her amateur days.

“She doesn’t play very many events in Europe anymore, she plays a lot on the LPGA and that’s quite a good influence. I enjoy practicing with her because of that, I think I maybe work a little bit harder, a bit more constructively.”

It is still a work in progress, mind you. Boulden’s world ranking of 329 camouflages her true ability, as does her 0-3 record at LPGA Q-School where she played “horrendous” just a couple of weeks before briefly contending at Saadiyat Beach after an opening 67.

“I know that people look at the scoreboard today,” Boulden said in Abu Dhabi, “and they’re thinking ‘she shot 80 two weeks ago now she shoots 67.’ There’s not actually that much difference between the rounds, it’s just, all like confidence and mentality.”

It’s not like Boulden is out of her depth on the U.S. tour. She started 2017 positively with a share of 21st place at the Australian Open in Adelaide and contended early in wild weather at the NZ Open before finishing T-13. But golf being a numbers game, it’s all about consistency.

Tristan Jones

“When I don’t play well, I drop into the same habits I’ve done since I was a kid. Paul is trying to teach me to not panic as much when I’m on the golf course like in Florida when I wasn’t playing well, I would get a bit panicky because obviously it’s a big week for me. When I don’t play well my swing gets shorter and shorter and that’s the worse thing that can happen.

Williams’ wife, a life coach, is also helping out. “It’s just getting to the reasons of when I don’t play well, is there another reason other than not swinging it well? It’s just about knowing how to control your thoughts, and things like that. I’m very good on the golf course, don’t get riled up by bad shots, I’m not bad tempered. I don’t really get down on myself, which I think is one of my strengths. But it’s also like the mentality going into the round – maybe having the same attitude every time. Like going to Florida, I don’t enjoy going to Florida, it’s in the back of my head, not really wanting to be there.”

One place Boulden loves to be is in the UAE. Her sister, Kim Ellis, worked at Abu Dhabi G.C.  for four years which meant regular training visits to the desert have turned the place into a home away from home. She missed the cut on the Majlis last season after rounds of 77-74 but is determined to end 2017 with a real splash.

“We get looked after so well, the best of everything. The best course we play, the best players’ lounge, everything – we are looked after. The staff are so nice with us, so it’s definitely the event we look forward to most. And to finish at that event as well, everybody is in a good mood because it’s the last event of the year.”

It might be the end of a tough season but it’s also another chance to rediscover what being Amy Boulden is really like. The old adage about form being temporary and class permanent means the good times will surely roll again soon.

The post Being Amy Boulden appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.