Pro golfer finds success after switching sports late
LONGWOOD, Fla. - Gabi Ruffels is a rising star on golf's Epson Tour, and she's still relatively new to the game.
"I played my first ever 18 holes in December 2014, and I didn’t have golf clubs or anything," Ruffels said.
Ruffels started golfing when she was 15-years-old.
Before getting serious about the sport, she was an elite junior tennis player, following in the footsteps of her parents who also played the sport.
"In tennis, I felt like it was just a rivalry. You’re playing one on one against an opponent. I didn’t really like that aspect of it. But golf is way more social," Ruffels said.
Gabi overcame a steep learning curve. But she says that sometimes she still feels like she’s playing catchup because of her lack of experience compared to the other players.
RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 02: Gabriela Ruffels of Australia walks on the sixth hole during the third round of The Chevron Championship at The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa on April 02, 2022 in Rancho Mirage, California. (Phot
She says one of the things she wants to work on is managing herself better around the course.
"I’ve had to work pretty hard to get to the experience level of the people who have been playing for so long," Ruffels said.
But that hasn't stopped Ruffels from succeeding on the tour.
She was on the cusp of playing LPGA full time. However, Ruffels fell short of advancing to Q-series last year.
It's the final stage to competing on the LPGA Tour.
This season Ruffels is using what she learned during her rookie to get better.
"One thing I learned, if you let it, golf can consume you. Not taking it so seriously is something I’ve really been trying to work on and just having more fun with it out here," Ruffels said.