Martin is relishing rookie year on Tour

Peterborough Milton professional Thalia Martin says she’s making the most of the opportunity to play regularly during her rookie season on the Ladies European Tour.
The two-time Northamptonshire Ladies Amateur champion only turned professional last March, but has made steady progress up the rankings by making the cut in eight of her 11 tournaments this year.
With a best finish of tied 14th in the Women’s New South Wales Open, Martin will now be hoping to kick on in the remaining events this season as she looks to secure a second year on the LET.
She said: “I turned professional for the Justin Rose Ladies Series in 2021, and then once the COVID restrictions started were lifted I began to compete on the LET Access Series.
“It gave me some opportunities to build up ranking points for the Ladies European Tour because the top six would gain a card for this year, which was what I was striding for.
“Unfortunately I couldn’t play in a few events for COVID and travel reasons, so I missed out on the top six – finishing 10th overall.
“But it meant that I went on the Sunshine Tour at the start of 2022, which was brilliant because it gave me the opportunity to gain a category on the first few events on the LET this season, including the two Opens in South African.
“I built up from that, managed to improve my category and obtained some world ranking points, and when the re-ranks started it gave me more chances on the LET.
“Golf is hard, so I couldn’t just rely on having starts, so I had to do well with every opportunity. But I made a decent start to the season and managed to gain a LET card for the rest of the year.
“There will be another re-rank shortly so hopefully I can get into more events but at the moment I can play in most LET competitions, except the majors.”
Martin is one of a collection of ladies golfers with Northamptonshire connections competing on the Ladies European Tour as she regularly lines up alongside Meghan MacLaren, Lauren Taylor and Becky Brewerton.
With Solheim Cup star Charley Hull also competing at the highest level on the LPGA Tour, 25-year-old Martin says her climb up the rankings has been a pleasant surprise, but not something she’s taking for granted.
She said: “I’ve always had high expectations of myself, just like everyone else on the LET or LPGA, but it was still a shock to the system that it actually turned out the way that I wanted.
“Now it’s a case of making the most of the opportunity and keeping the mind set going – and keeping the foot on the peddle.
“It was a great experience in South Africa, being out there for two months was amazing, and then going to Australia – it’s even mad for me to even say that!
“I learn a lot, particularly about the first round because I needed to get used to the different climates and altitude changes in certain countries. I realised how important it was to work on distance control.
“The mental side is also important because I need to stay calm and enjoy my golf – that’s why I love having my mum caddying. When she is on my golf bag I realise how amazing it is to be with my parents, playing the game I love.”