Twenty years in the past, that is precisely what novice Brenda Corrie-Kuehn — eight months pregnant — did on the US Girls’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Membership alongside enjoying associate Jennifer Greggain, who was effectively into her second trimester.
But the mother-of-three completed with a birdie and defied her obstetrician-gynecologist, who thought she was too near the due date to be on a golf course in 80-degree warmth.
“I mentioned to her: ‘Over my useless physique.’ I certified for this, I labored onerous to get there, I’m going to play,” Corrie-Kuehn instructed CNN Sport.
Every week later, daughter Rachel was born, and her 56-year-old mother may have impressed others to hold on dwelling life when your tummy and your medical doctors are telling you no.
“It was not fairly. I do not bear in mind what I did, however there is a level in the direction of the top of your being pregnant the place you simply get massive in a short time,” mentioned the nine-time US Open veteran.
“I believe that occurred between the time of qualifying for the Open and the precise occasion itself, and it is onerous to fireside the hips with the added weight, so my swing modified and I could not hit it very far. However I used to be glad to be there.
“Lots of people requested me: ‘How might you play that means?’ What I used to be making an attempt to indicate was it is a part of life. I had some bodily restrictions and after the US Open I performed in a cart at dwelling earlier than Rachel was born.
“What I used to be making an attempt to indicate was simply since you’re pregnant, and until you might have a medical situation, you are able to do the identical belongings you did earlier than you had been pregnant and after you ship. That was my message.”
With such {golfing} genes — Corrie-Kuehn’s mom was a Venezuelan nationwide champion and so was her dad — it is little marvel Rachel adopted in her mother’s footsteps to the famend Wake Forest College in North Carolina the place she additionally excels at golf, narrowly lacking out on the Augusta Nationwide Girls’s Beginner finale at Augusta earlier this yr.
She has essentially the most avid supporter in her mother, whose recommendation for any pregnant golfer is to observe how lengthy you spend training on the greens.
“It affected my distance quite a bit. Think about having a 30-pound ball in entrance of you and making an attempt to fireside your hips, you’d lose your stability. So my swing turned very armsy and rhythmical.
“However there isn’t any cause for the quick sport to not be good — though you can’t sit and observe your placing for a very long time as a result of your again kills you.”
Sturdy mothers
Three-time main champion Nancy Lopez has three daughters and gained occasions whereas pregnant within the Nineteen Eighties and Nineteen Nineties.
In 2003, France’s Patricia Meunier-Lebouc performed the Solheim Cup 4 months pregnant, taking some useful recommendation from Carin Koch, the Swede having performed the 2002 competitors at 12 weeks.
In 2005, Laura Diaz and Iben Tinning met within the biennial competitors, American Diaz six months pregnant and Dane Tinning 16 weeks.
On the planet of lengthy drive championships, Lisa ‘Longball’ Vlooswyk turned the primary competitor within the discipline to throw her added weight into the most important drives within the sport.
In flip, she impressed five-times world champion Sandra Carlborg from Sweden, who was pummeling 300+ yard drives within the 2019 event when she was 24 weeks pregnant together with her daughter Ebba.
“We had a medical tent as a result of it was highly regarded that day, the medical man was cooling me down with ice between units,” Carlborg instructed CNN.
“I felt protected and he mentioned: ‘So long as you are feeling good, it is okay.’ I promised him if I felt something uncomfortable, I’d cease competing,” mentioned the 37-year-old, who hit 80 balls at full tilt that day and whose longest drive is 401 yards, 5 shy of the world report.
Now anticipating her second daughter, due in September, Carlborg has used the Covid-19 lockdowns to start out a podcast known as PowerMamas in Sweden to assist empower new moms.
“I am getting weaker and weaker once more so I am actually trying ahead to coming again as a powerful athlete for subsequent yr. My aim is to be my strongest me — stronger than I’ve ever been and swing it quicker than I ever have.
“Many individuals say girls are stronger after they have been a mother.”
Carlborg will get a few of her optimistic outlook from the way in which her sponsors initially took the information she was having her first child.
“It is a massive distinction these days. I used to be very nervous once I instructed my sponsors I used to be pregnant with Ebba, questioning what they had been going to say, however I believe that is been an enormous change prior to now few years, in all sports activities.
“I am pleased that we stay not like 10-15 years in the past, individuals at all times used to say: ‘When you might have children. you are out of your sport.’ I hope extra girls are pondering that having children will not cease them from being a high-level athlete.”
Former Nice Britain rower Baz Moffat based the Properly HQ earlier in 2021 with two medical doctors — one in every of whom, Dr Emma Ross, has written a chapter on girls and pregnancies in golf as a part of a feminine athlete well being ebook.
“Being pregnant and post-natal restoration in sport is a extremely, actually new factor. Brenda is an actual one-off,” Moffat instructed CNN.
“It is solely actually since Serena Williams in 2014 that this has change into extra of a factor, by way of extra girls sandwiching in kids inside their careers — versus simply pushing their careers proper up till the purpose they wish to have kids and that being the primary cause they retire from sport.”
Mom-of-two Moffat, who educated with the Nice Britain Olympic staff between 2004-08, mentioned the change has been large from her day as an elite athlete submit the Beijing Video games.
“I do not suppose there have been any mothers on this planet of worldwide sport again then. A couple of individuals tried to depart, have kids and are available again once more, inside a four-year cycle, however the assist methods weren’t there.
“If the primary cause girls are leaving their sport early is to have kids, how can we assist them all through that? It is not excellent now, however there are examples of girls doing it fantastically.”
Even par someday, a bit birdie the subsequent
Again at Wake Forest College, Kuehn’s teammate Emilia Migliaccio is the discuss of US novice golf after making the playoff at Augusta however dropping to a clutch par from 17-year-old Japanese star Tsubasa Kajitani.
Like Kuehn, her mother too was a superb expertise. Ulrika Migliaccio represented the College of Arizona and in addition performed alongside fellow Swede and 10-time main winner Annika Sorenstam.
So when Ulrika donned the well-known white Augusta boiler go well with to caddie for her daughter in April, it made Emilia gush with pleasure as she thought again to her mother as a golfer, not least enjoying the sport pregnant.
“I believe the day earlier than my mother had me, she performed a spherical of golf and shot even par,” the 22-year-old instructed CNN, an enormous smile breaking out throughout her face.
“She was enjoying with two males who checked out one another and mentioned: ‘Actually? We’re enjoying this pregnant woman?’ Then she completely tore it up!”
Migliaccio grew up aspiring to play sport professionally, has rubbed shoulders on staff occasions with the likes of Patty Tavatanakit, Collin Morikawa, Jennifer Kupcho and Viktor Hovland and performs the sport to a degree most individuals can solely dream about.
But she has determined to observe her mother’s footsteps in not becoming a member of the skilled ranks.
“She did not actually like dwelling out of a suitcase, and determined the skilled observe wasn’t going to be for her. After I was questioning my profession path, my mother shared her expertise and she or he’s given me numerous steering.”
Like Ulrika Migliaccio that day on the course, Carlborg has a lesson for some male golfers too.
“Again in 2019, once I was 30 weeks pregnant, I used to be telling guys at an occasion to not complain about their massive stomachs, they don’t seem to be stopping you hitting it far!
“So hopefully I can encourage lots of people from being pregnant.”
