Rochelle mixing with the stars

Rochelle with legend Annika Sorenstam

Life on the road is never dull for a professional golfer as Woodsome Hall’s Rochelle Morris is quickly finding out.

Spain, France and Switzerland are just three of the countries she has visited in recent weeks before spending a week at home to celebrate her 24th birthday.

Annika Sorenstam won 93 professional events during a spectacular career and was the host for the La Reserva de Sotogrande Invitational in Spain on the Ladies European Tour.

Morris said: “La Reserva was an absolute dream to play as the course was in fantastic condition and the set-up of the event was second to none. Annika was hosting the event which was super exciting for all of us competing and made the tournament extra special.”

A solid opening round of 1 over par put Morris in the top 30 but a pushed drive which led to a triple bogey on a very windy second day saw her finish on five over but it was good enough to make the cut after failing to make it through to the final rounds in her first LET event in Morocco.

A two over third round didn’t do justice to her quality of play but her last round was marred by a nose bleed that she could not stem.

“My warm up went really well and I was definitely geared up for a good score after the wind died a little which allowed for someone to shoot a low one. Around 15 mins before I am due on the tee, I always go to the bathroom to sort myself out and then all of a sudden there was blood everywhere due to a huge nose bleed.

“I had to rush to the tee to avoid getting a penalty shot for being late. I had nothing prepared, my nose was still bleeding uncontrollably and next thing I know I have paramedics surrounding me. Not exactly what you want before your final round.

“They couldn’t stop the bleeding and I had a cloth up my nose for all of the 18 holes as they said I had to play with it just in case it started again. Unfortunately, there are no pictures which would have given everybody a good laugh."

Unsurprisingly Morris started bogey, double bogey, bogey with more than a few tears involved but she hung in there in gritty fashion to shoot 5 over for the round.

The Huddersfield golfer then flew to Geneva to meet her uncle who lives in France, and they made for the Evian Resort for the Jabra Open where she was first reserve. One player was reportedly struggling but she took her place before pulling out before the second round which made for a frustrating week.

“These are the things that happen in professional golf so I decided to make the best of it and take advantage of the fantastic facilities of it and get in a good week of practice with Steve Selbie who was due to be on the bag. “

Next up was Lavaux Golf Club in Switzerland, a tight and tricky layout which was hosting the next LET Access Tour event. A first round of two under saw Morris lead in the clubhouse for a while and feeling good. However, a steady start to round two came unravelled with a four putt double bogey on the 9th and three bogeys on the back side.

In the third and final round the 9th hole once again proved her nemesis with another double and led to a two over par finish which left her in 43rd position.

Bust she remains positive about the rest of the year. “My game is in good shape, I made both cuts in the events I played but I’m competitive and I want more of the same and better. I’m sure if you ask any athlete, they would say the same. I’m very excited to keep working hard and getting stuck in to the rest of the season!"