A three-putt on the last hole couldn’t deter Christine Wolf, who shot 2-under 70 in her first round since February at the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open on Thursday.
The 33-year-old Austrian has returned to competition after a four-month break from golf.
“I took some time off and I traveled the last four months,” said Wolf, “all through South America, something I always wanted to do, but I didn’t want to give up my golfing. So I thought I would just come be ready to come back for this one and play the rest of the season.”
Wolf carried a 48-pound backpack throughout her adventure and was happy to give her golf bag back to a caddie.
“We flew into Buenos Aires and stayed there for a few days, before heading to Chile,” Wolf told the Ladies European Tour. “There we went all the way south to Patagonia, where we did some hiking and biking, and I actually also got to play a round of golf there.
“From there we made our way north through Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia – where I played a championship course with the highest altitude – then on to Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, and all the way to Guatemala.
“It’s really hard to say what the best part was, because it was so diverse, and every country we have visited was beautiful. But one of my favorite things was the Galápagos Islands. You felt like you were in a zoo all day long, but also the hikes around Patagonia and Machu Picchu were breathtaking.”
Wolf opened the season in February at the Magical Kenya Ladies Open, where she finished 16th. She now plans to play the next three months on the Ladies European Tour, noting that the time off has given her fresh perspective.
“If you hit a bad shot, it’s just a bad shot sort of thing,” she said. “I’m just enjoying being out here with the girls and having a good time.”
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