Kiran Matharu’s comeback took a major step forward as she marched to her maiden Sunshine Ladies Tour victory with a commanding performance in the Ladies Tshwane Open in South Africa.
The Cookridge Hall golfer was in imperious form at Zwartkop Country Club – firing four birdies on the back nine to post a four under-par 67 for a winning score of 209.
“This is what I’ve been working towards since the start of the Sunshine Ladies Tour and to finally lift the trophy is just a fantastic feeling,” said Matharu, who also won 400,000 Rand.
The victory catapulted Matharu, 27, to the top of the Chase to the Investec Cup and marks a remarkable comeback.
“I am really excited to win again,” she said. “The last couple of years have been tough. I’ve had injuries to overcome and I started showing some form last year but it’s not until you put your hands on a trophy that you know you can win again.”
Matharu turned pro as a 17-year-old in 2006 and became a poster girl for Asian sport. Unfortunately by 2012 she had lost her tour status and had a battle with the yips.
She spent four hours a day for five months in her garage working on a Hank Haney technique to cure the yips and then met Northamptonshire Cricket Club’s physio Madhan Ramanathan, who recognised she was suffering from blocked hips.
Matharu said: “I was struggling and it was getting worse. But Madhan realised what the problem was and it’s made a huge difference. Suddenly I could swing the club more freely.”
