Golfers in Dubbo might feel like they have nothing in common with the elite players who converge on the city next week for the Women's NSW Open.
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But when Robyn Choi talks about the sport she could be any other player who's spent time on the fairways.
"I like golf when I play well but it's really frustrating and I hate it when I'm not," the 21-year-old rising star laughed.
Choi will be one of the many major drawcards at Dubbo Golf Club next week.
Some of the world's best will be in action next week when more than 150 players take to the course, aiming to take home a major slice of the $324,000 in prizemoney.
Choi will come to Dubbo feeling more comfortable and confident then she ever has.
This year marks her second on the pro tour and she will head west in form, having finished in a tie for sixth at the recent Victorian Open while she finished in a tie for 34th with a final score of -3 at last week's Australian Open.
She also won an [Australian Ladies Professional Golf] Qualifying Tournament in January.
"I definitely got a big confidence boost from the Vic Open and Australian Open," she said.
"I'm feeling much more comfortable than I did last year. I feel less pressure and I feel like I can play against them."
By 'them', Choi means the best in the world and she spent much of last year sharing the courses with those players.
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"I got smashed a little bit," she laughed.
"But the performances and the Vic Open and Australian Open were definitely better and it was good for my mindset and confidence.
"The biggest thing is my mentality. My coach has always said with a little more confidence in myself I could do really well.
"I think I was a bit frightened of that because I was playing the best players at a really high level and it wasn't there at the time."
Choi's belief may be growing but she heads to Dubbo knowing nothing about the course or the western region.
The 21-year-old, whose parents hail from Korea, is from the Gold Coast and spoke to the Daily Liberal while contesting the Australian Ladies Classic at Bonville on the state's north coast.
I like the feeling of when you play well and the hard work has paid off.
- Robyn Choi
She will head further south early next week.
"I've never been to Dubbo and not sure what to expect," Choi said.
"But I think it will be good. I think there will be more bonding with the other players because there's not as much around.
"We'll be around each other a lot and I'm really looking forward to that. I think it will be fun."
Choi said that kind of camaraderie will be welcomed as often golf can be an isolating sport with all the time spent, as she put it, at "golf and the hotel, and then golf and the hotel".
But as testing as it can be at times, Choi will head to Dubbo chasing the kind of satisfaction only possible from a perfect round.
"I like the feeling of when you play well and the hard work has paid off," she said.
"It's a competitive environment but you're really competing against yourself. It's you and the ball and I like that aspect.
"If you do something wrong it's your own fault and if you want to play better you've got to work to get that feeling of accomplishment."
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Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
