The career trip from Denmark to the LPGA was falling into place for Therese Koelbaek. Danish National Team as a junior golfer: Check. Move to America, play college golf at UNLV, earn All-American status: Done. Turn professional and work toward a LPGA career: In progress.
The last step has always been the hardest because the world’s best golfers are all playing for their livelihoods, whether it be on the Epson Tour or LPGA. But here stood a promising golfer with a well-rounded game, using a 26th-place finish with no missed cuts during her rookie season on the 2012 Epson Tour to look forward to the next season. But then came injury.
“I had never been injured,” Koelbaek, 26, said. “The beginning of last year, I missed two cuts out of the first three tournaments. I went home to Phoenix after missing the last cut and I practiced so hard and in the gym. One day I was in the gym and completed my workout. But I thought why not a little extra to turn the ship around? I did a few squats and I guess I was too tired. I realized right away I was hurt.”
Koelback tried to return to the Epson Tour, but couldn’t shake the backache. She visited with chiropractors, had an MRI and underwent physical therapy. It was determined that she had a bulging disk.
“It was a couple of months before I could even hold a club again,” Koelbaek said. “There were a lot of thoughts going on. Can I do this? It’s not like a regular job where you get medical pay when you’re out of work. It was an eye opener to see if I want to do this. That’s why I’m giving it my all again. I’m refocused.”
A September 2013 return allowed her to get her feet wet again. But the carryover to 2014 has required some mental catchup.
“I’m hitting it really solid, but the results have varied,” Koelbaek said. “Coming back from a year off has required me to mentally relearn how to react in certain situations. What do I do when I’m in contention? How do I keep the momentum going from one good round?”
Koelbaek has only one top-10 finish this season, a tie for fourth at the Guardian Retirement Championship in May, but has shown a spark recently. She opened with a 70 at the Friends of Mission Charity Classic in May at Asheville, N.C., en route to a tie for 24th and started with a 67 at the Epson Classic on the way to a tie for 46th the following week in Charlotte, N.C. She stands 36th on the Epson Tour money list ($9,026) after taking a week off to reenergize. She is back at the Decatur-Forsyth Classic in Decatur, Ill., this week.
It’s a part of a learning process that began as a youth in Gentofte, Denmark when an older brother introduced golf to the family. She continues to work with Denmark-based instructor Thomas Larsson, her teacher since her junior days. An incentive is the success that fellow Dane Thorbjorn Olesen has experienced in the men’s professional ranks.
“I’m working through getting back in the game,” she said. “I had issues with my putter. But the last couple weeks I have been putting better than ever. I am super optimistic. The first part of the formula is complete and now comes the second part. I can’t get ahead of myself. At least I’ve been in position, and I’ve got to learn from that.”
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