She’s come a long way from the plastic set of golf clubs she was given as a six-year old following the family’s move to New Zealand. Supported by mum Beverley and dad Lee, Garvey, the youngest of three sisters, saw her father play socially, and she was off, learning the game at the Kaiapoi Golf Club. Before long, her talent was obvious.
“I played in my first ever New Zealand Open [at the age of 13] and I remember being blown away by the set-up. With it being here in Christchurch. I had a following of family and friends and I remember thinking I could never do this as my job, and now it is,” Garvey says.
“I think about that moment a lot. When I’m not enjoying it so much and the road is getting lonely or I’m having a hard time, I think about the little girl that dreamt of being where I am today and getting to do this week to week.”
Garvey’s college career was at the University of Southern California (USC). After looking at a few options, USC was the last one she toured and she was blown away by the resources that it had.
“Going over to the States after being a big fish in a little pond was definitely the next step that I needed to take, throwing myself in the deep end a little bit and realising just how many girls there are out there trying to chase the same dream that I did,” she says.
“Also, just being surrounded by players that wanted to get to the next level was different to New Zealand, and to practice with them and learn from them and the coaches was a really amazing opportunity.”
Her time at USC was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, and she returned to New Zealand for eight months, studying online. But then came an unexpected opportunity as the then 20-year-old got a call-up in December 2020, to play the delayed US Open in Texas as an amateur. She narrowly missed the cut in Houston, but less than six months later she returned to the 2021 edition as a professional, just a week after graduating from USC.
2022 saw Garvey join the Epson Tour in the United States, which is the official development vehicle for the LPGA Tour, the home of the sport’s elite players.
“It was tough. You’re playing on that tour to try and get on the LPGA. It’s a good pathway, but unfortunately you’re not playing for that much money. I did three years on there and I got close to making the LPGA tour,” she says.
Amelia Garvey, in action with Team She Loves Golf, at last month’s Chasing the Fox event. Photo / Photosport
“In my second year I ended up in the final stage of qualifying and missed my card by two shots over six rounds which was a hard blow to take. The tough thing about golf is if you don’t make it one year, there’s no promotions or relegations, so you have to wait another year to go at it again.”
“I enjoyed Epson, but by the end of it I was running out of money and needed to figure out a way to play another year. LET sees you play for a lot more money than the Epson Tour and you’ve got more opportunities to play in big events.”
Garvey arrived back in New Zealand in mid-November and before Christmas she got the chance to spend some time with Dame Lydia Ko, who was able to talk about her own career and experiences.
“One of my big goals is to play in the Olympics. It was really cool to spend time with her and figure out going forward, how can I try and get there with her in LA in 2028, or Brisbane in 2032,” Garvey says.
“As an athlete you grow up watching the Olympics and that’s always been one of my goals. Realising that it could actually happen is a big motivating factor for me. Getting to play for your country under the flag means that you’re representing people and inspiring others the younger generation coming through as well. It’s a huge thing,”
Garvey is back in LET action next month, with the season kicking off in Saudi Arabia, before four tournaments in Australia in March. Despite it being the ‘European’ Tour, the first tournament in Europe isn’t until the German Masters in May. From there she’ll have opportunities in France and Belgium among others, before the Scottish Open and then the British Open in late July, which will be held at Royal Lytham & St Annes In Lancashire. It’s a course of huge significance for Kiwi golfers, with Sir Bob Charles, who Garvey played with just last weekend, winning his British Open there in 1963.
Garvey will have opportunities to qualify for the other major championships this year, but she has another goal firmly in mind.
“I haven’t won professionally yet and I want to learn to do that before I get to the LPGA tour,” she says.
Finishing in the top 10 in this year’s LET would see her progress to final qualifying for next year’s LPGA Tour and that’s the big aim, as it would see her join the likes of Ko and other superstars such as Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand and the USA’s Nelly Korda. Coming from New Zealand, Garvey realises the significance of such an achievement.
“There’s more girls than ever playing golf right now in New Zealand. We’ve changed the story of it being an older person’s sport and there [are fewer] barriers. It’s about proving that even though you’re from a small country, you can make it and there’s a career out there.”
This story was originally published at Newsroom.co.nz and is republished with permission.