PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM: Rediscovering her love for golf, Bruce now all in as a pro

There are a handful of Filipina players campaigning in professional circuits around the world.

And whether we like it or not, these ladies best represent Philippine golf, the front and center of its program and efforts to develop the sport.

But oh, the sacrifices that they encounter in trying to eke out a living in the games’ biggest stages. Against the game’s biggest stars.

Yet the stark reality of these struggles — making the cut, constant travelling, tour expenses and time away from loved ones — are eclipsed by the glitzy trappings of playing in a professional tour.

Take for example Ladies European Tour campaigner, Samantha Bruce. She graduated magna cum laude last year from Seattle University, a private Jesuit learning institution, where she majored in Computer Science and minored in Data Science and Business.

She got everything going for her in terms of education yet she chose a life far, far away from the office desk.

“I feel privileged and grateful to be on the LET,” Bruce told Tribune Golf.

“The talent level is so high in women’s golf that the path to the top tours is very difficult. Every time I tee off is an opportunity to be my best and I am thankful for all the chances that I get. It’s humbling to be able to play at this level and tee up against a lot of great players.”

She added: “There is also a sense of pride as I get to represent my country and trailblaze a path that is not usually taken by Pinay golfers. Hopefully there would be more Pinays who will try to test their game on the LET.”

And by testing, she meant it in every sense of the word.

Because she is competing in different countries in Europe, she has to get a visa in almost every country she’s playing. There are at least four times she missed a tournament due to visa delay.

“No matter how good we are at managing the schedule, we will always miss a few,” she said.

And while still very young at 23, and in top shape as an athlete, living out of a suitcase takes its toll on Bruce. “The travel gets to you at some point,” she said. That’s why on long breaks she would fly back to Manila or the United States.

Her best result in 11 LET tournaments she played so far was a seventh-place finish in the US Women’s Open pre-qualifying in Berlin last May. Her best round was a 68 just recently during the Magical Kenya Ladies Open where she placed 19th.

Bruce’s solid Tour start more than made up for yet another challenge playing professionally.

“Playing on any top-level tour is expensive in itself already but being in Europe makes everything a bit more expensive,” Bruce said.

“And then there’s the cost to travel. It’s hard specially since I don’t have any big institutional /corporate sponsors yet. We have a few friends supporting me but it’s not enough and every year will be a struggle just to cover the expenses to play.”

Now she’s knocking on the doors of the LPGA after recently making the next stage of the Q-School.

“Q-school is never certain, anything can happen and there so many great players trying to make it. I trust my game, I worked hard to prepare and I am hopeful that I can do well,” she said.

Quite a mean feat for somebody who had seriously considered giving up golf altogether, let alone playing professionally.

Her first year in the US for college golf (with San Jose State University) was rough. Only 15, she suffered an injury and struggled to recover from it.

“I was ready to go home and just be a full-time student. And although my parents understood my struggle and wanted me to be happy, they also didn’t want me to just give up.”

It was only when she switched schools and during the pandemic that she rekindled her love affair with golf. This time it was serious.

Now playing out of Seattle University, she became “better and better,” and was three-time All-Conference pick (twice in the first team, and once in second team). She was also a two-time team captain and set scoring records for the school; and was Academic All-American and All WAC Academic pick four times over.

On her last year in college, she was hailed “Athlete of the Year,” and the conference’s nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.

All that helped made her decision to turn pro a lot easier. However, Bruce knows in her heart things could only get a lot difficult as she goes deep into the pros.

“You need to be very tough to be on tour. I have grown up a lot as a person in the past few months. I am all by myself when I play and I only have myself to rely on when I’m on the road,” she said.

“I am a much better player now than I was 12 months ago and being on tour has made me tougher and more capable of handling pressure.”