In 2016, Liv Cheng (Auckland, New Zealand) had a singular goal and was determined: she wanted to represent New Zealand in the 2016 Olympics in Rio. She stressed and put every ounce of her energy towards qualifying.
Unfortunatley, she came close, but fell short.
“I had to reassess my goals because it hit me pretty hard that I didn’t qualify because I thought I did all the right things to get me in position,” said Cheng, who has reinvented herself this year and ranks sixth on the Volvik Race for the Card money list early in the season. “I realized that the Olympics shouldn’t have been my main goal, it should have been making it to the LPGA Tour. It gave me motivation to work harder and not just be on the bubble, but be like Lydia Ko up near the top instead of worrying about qualifying.”
Cheng, who had just one top 10 finish in her first two seasons on the Epson Tour, captured her first win this year at the Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club and has an additional top 10 in five starts. For comparison sake, she finished 63rd on the money list last year and 108th as a rookie in 2015.
“I feel like my game is getting better as the year goes on and I think I have what it takes to make the top 10 this year,” said Cheng, who will compete next week in the Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Classic in Greenwood, S.C. “I really feel like I now have the right tools to get my LPGA card for next year.”
Two weeks before the season started, Cheng’s physio – Trevor Montgomery – recommended a mental coach to her in New Zealand. She started seeing Sarah Carruthers and Cheng said it has made a world of difference.
“We work on my pre-shot routine, what I think about, how I feel on the golf course and really what is going on in my head,” explained Cheng. “The last couple years, I struggled with scoring well and I knew I had the game. Coming into this year, I made some changes and started seeing Sarah and it has made a big difference. I have a lot more confidence in my game.”
The biggest thing Carruthers has done for Cheng is giving her tools to stay in the moment on the course.
“I used to always think about the score or if I was going to make the cut,” explained Cheng. “I’m much better now at focusing on the shot I’m about to hit. I don’t worry about the outcome as much anymore.”
Cheng now has different breathing techniques that she puts to work on the golf course. She used deep breathing techniques in the playoff at Longbow Golf Club to keep calm in order to win.
At last – in her third year on Tour – she has formed a team around her to take her game to the next level.
“I’m now surrounding myself with people that help my game be at its best,” said Cheng, who has made the cut in each of her five starts. “I’m getting the hang of what I need out on Tour to play at my best."
The other person she has in her corner is the #1 player in the worl, Lydia Ko. While they don’t see each other often these days because of on-the-go schedules, Cheng leans on Ko from time-to-time. In fact, when she was driving to Windsor, California for the next Epson Tour event, she stopped at the ANA inspiration to watch Ko play.
“She is lovely, if I have any questions, I’ll ask her and she will respond,” said Cheng. “She has been a great resource when I need anything.”
Cheng now has her sights set on joining Ko on the LPGA Tour. She also has the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as a secondary goal. Cheng is currently the second highest ranked golfer from New Zealand.
More importantly, she’s in position and playing well enough to achieve her primary goal of playing on the LPGA.
The bottom line is this. Cheng is feeling more comfortable now on Tour and this week is a perfect example.
Instead of traveling back to New Zealand or her U.S. home in California, she is staying with a host family in Charleston, S.C. with the same family she stayed with while competing in the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur.
“She (Tanya Deke) actually came to visit New Zealand last September and that was great,” said Cheng. “I didn’t want to travel to California this week so I called her up and she said absolute I could stay. I’m just really grateful for host families.”
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