This week is incredibly special for Ana Belac. She said she’s worked her entire life for this moment – a shot to compete against the best in the world on the LPGA Tour. The native of Slovenia has the chance to put her skill to the test at the Marathon LPGA Classic, where she is competing in her first Tour event as a sponsor invite.
“This is something I've dreamed of since I was a little girl, to play a professional sport, and I finally got a chance to really tee it up on the biggest stage,” said Belac.
When the coronavirus pandemic ended collegiate athletics in the early spring, Belac turned professional in late March after four years at Duke University. She earned Epson Tour status after the 2019 LPGA Q-Series and competed in her first Epson event as a professional at the Firekeepers Casino Hotel Championship, finishing T28.
As Belac prepared for this week, she got advice from a certain 2020 LPGA Tour rookie. “I talk a lot with Leona Maguire, my close friend from Duke. She's out here on tour as well. Unfortunately not here this week. But she's been always like a really supportive friend, like a big sister. Just reassuring me that it's just playing golf, like just like we did in college,” said Belac, who played with Maguire at Duke for two seasons. “It's on a bigger stage, but at the end of the day, you got here for some reason, so just trust your game and just go and play and enjoy.”
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