It only took two rounds of golf for Vancouver’s Leah John to have her “welcome to the LPGA Tour” moment.
John had just finished playing in Blue Bay LPGA, the first tournament of her rookie season on the top-flight women’s golf circuit, when she got approached for an autograph. And another. And another.
Although John had missed the cut on March 6 at Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course on Hainan Island, China, there was a crowd waiting to meet her and get her signature. There were so many people that security actually had to move the large group to one side so as to not block other golfers from getting to the clubhouse.
“I had this mob of people wanting my signature, which was so much fun, like it was so nice to feel like I could have an impact on people and just make them happy,” said John. “I am very much living my dream.
“I loved it.”
John qualified for the LPGA Tour through the qualifying stage of the circuit in December. Blue Bay LPGA wasn’t just her first tournament as a full-fledged member of the tour, it was her first time to Asia.
“That’s the farthest I’ve ever travelled for a tournament, so it was really exciting to go to Asia and see what the lay of the land is like there,” said John. “The golf course was amazing. It’s so pristine and beautiful and I didn’t play my best per se, but it really was an awesome first week to start just getting into the groove, getting yourself familiar with your surroundings.
“Simple things (like) what does practice usually look like and what’s the vibe of the tour.”
The 25-year-old John will tee it up again this week at the Fortinet Founders Cup at Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club in Menlo Park, Calif. Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., is the other Canadian in the field.
John said it will take a while to realize that she belongs on the LPGA Tour.
“Just getting used to seeing your idols out here, and having to realize that you are amongst them, and feeling comfortable with that,” she said. “That’s still something that’s taken some time.
“That’s one of the biggest adjustments I’ve had to make is still believing in myself, even though I’m up against some really good competition, and embracing the challenge of that, rather than feeling defeated by it.”
John is not the only Canadian making memories in their rookie seasons.
Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont., tied for fifth at the prestigious Players Championship on Sunday. He finished four shots back of eventual winner Cameron Young of the United States.
“I never thought I was going to have a chance to win, to be honest,” Yellamaraju told reporters after his final round at TPC Sawgrass. “I would have to do something miraculous, and I almost did.
“I just wanted to play one shot at a time and play the best golf I could because this course is so tough and you’ve just got to stay patient and just keep grinding.”
The performance rocketed Yellamaraju up the FedEx Cup standings from 67th to 30th. He’s now the highest ranked Canadian on the PGA Tour in just the seventh start of his first full season on the circuit.
