Ashleigh Barty, a cricketer turned world’s number one tennis player, tried her hand at golf and won the Women’s Championship at the Brookwater Golf Club near Brisbane.
Ashleigh Barty clinched the title with a 7-5 victory in the matchplay final at the club where her boyfriend Garry Kissick is a professional trainee.
Recent reports find Barty had decided to skip the US and French Open Grand Slam titles because of the COVID-19 pandemic but could not keep herself away from the action for too long.
According to a report by the Indian Express, Barty resides in Queensland. The area has been relatively successful in containing new coronavirus cases and has closed its borders from the populous south-eastern states where there are more virus cases.
Before trying golf, Barty played for the Brisbane Heat in Australia’s inaugural Women’s Big Bash League.
Additionally, Barty debuted as a member of the Australian Tennis Team at 15 in 2010. Having played a handful of tournaments at an early age and experienced a professional athlete’s busy lifestyle, Barty took a break from tennis after the 2014 US Open.
Ashleigh Barty as a cricketer
Barty approached the local authorities in Queensland and started her career as a cricketer in 2015.
Her first taste of competitive cricket was in the Brisbane’s Women’s Premier Cricket Twenty20 League for the Western Suburbs District Cricket Club. She was the top scorer for her team, leading for her to own a title.
Andy Richards, Barty’s coach, who is now the coach of Brisbane Heat, saw the female athlete’s immense potential and helped her sign the deal with Brisbane Heat.
Even though she could not score double digits more than a couple of times, the thing to note would be that she was a regular player in her team.
Though Barty only played cricket for a year, it acted as a much-needed break for the teenager who debuted as an athlete for her country.
More about Ashleigh Barty’s golf sport
Barty’s win at the Women’s Championship that took place at the Brookwater Golf Club caught the eyes of her competitors and professionals in the game.
The five-time gulf major champion Tiger Woods complimented the 24-year old athlete saying that she has a great swing.
In an ESPN News report, Barty’s father once represented Australia as an amateur.
“I’ve seen quite a lot of golfers come from different sports, and she’s the one that stands out the most,” said Louis Dobbelaar, a two-time Queensland amateur champion.
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