Boulden sets sights on bigger and better things

Boulden at the Emirates Golf Club on Saturday

Dubai — Amy Boulden was crowned the ‘Rookie of the Year’ on the Ladies European Tour (LET) after the season-ending Omega Dubai Ladies Masters here at Emirates Golf Club two months ago. She achieved four top-10 finishes from 15 LET appearances in 2014.

The Welsh 21-year-old returned to the scene of that milestone moment this past week to check out how the men go about their business on the fairways and greens during the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. One of the European Tour stars on show, England’s Robert Rock, has been her coach for the past two years.

Here, Boulden talks to Khaleej Times and reflects upon her breakthrough year and converses openly about her hopes and aspirations for the campaign ahead and beyond.

AL: How does it feel to be back in Dubai and Emirates Golf Club two months on?

AB: Being back here definitely brings back great memories. Dubai is one of my favourite places in the world anyway. I love coming out here to work on my game before the season starts. It’s the perfect place to come, with perfect weather and perfect golf courses. My sister (Kim) used to work out here as well, so it’s really good to come back and see a lot of friends. The golf course is in fantastic conditions and it’s great to be able to come out here and watch the guys and see how they play the course.

AL: I know some LET golfers like watching their European Tour counterparts to see if there are specific aspects from the men’s game they can incorporate into their own. Do you take things away from such experiences?

AB: I walked round with (2014 ISPS Handa Order of Merit winner) Charley (Hull) on Friday. I love watching men’s golf and being able to watch it live is really good. I followed (world number one) Rory (McIlroy) and he played awesomely. It’s just good to see how they strike it, their putting and all of the things they do differently from us.

AL: Having had time to reflect on what you achieved in 2014 over the Christmas and New Year period, what do you make of it all now?

AB: I got home on December 15th after the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters and I had a few weeks off, just to reflect on my year and celebrate it and basically enjoy that time with my family and friends. It was obviously my first year on tour and I did everything I wanted to. I had a spell of a few weeks where I was finishing in the top five or the top 10 and that helped my confidence. That’s what really helped me to win Rookie of the Year.

It was just a confidence thing because I knew I had the game to win it. The game of golf is definitely about confidence and, when you get that, it certainly helps. I didn’t win a tournament title, but I wasn’t far away and I learnt a lot in that first year, so I’m just going to push on now for this year and see what happens.

AL: What would you like to achieve in 2015 to follow on from your breakthrough year last season?

AB: The Solheim Cup is always going to be in the back of my mind. Everyone saw what Charley did (at Colorado Golf Club in 2013, when Europe beat the USA 18-10). I love team golf and one of my goals is to play in several Solheim Cup teams. That would be awesome. I’m not sure whether it’s going to happen this year.

I’m going to have to work on quite a few things in my game to be ready for that. But, I’m just trying to give myself the best possible chance to get picked and, if it’s not to be this year, it maybe will be in two years’ time. I cannot put too much pressure on myself though and I’m not going to think about that too much.

I just want to try and win golf tournaments and put myself in contention in every one of them I go to. I’m just working on a few things in my game at the moment and just sharpening them up as I get ready to go to Australia.

AL: What are you specifically looking to improve in your game?

AB: Your short game is the biggest thing on the ladies tour. When the LPGA players came over to play in Dubai, they made up the majority of the top 10 contenders in the tournament and I got to play with a couple of them. You just see the difference in their short game and their pitching and putting.

I played with Minjee Lee and I’d say her long game isn’t any different from mine, but — whenever she puts herself in a bit of trouble — she gets up and down from anywhere. If you do find yourself out of position, that’s what you have to do – be able to scramble a par or even make a birdie sometimes. I personally think I’m quite a good putter, but I’m definitely going to work on my pitching and chipping in and around the greens.

AL: Do you have aspirations to play on the LPGA Tour at some stage?

AB: My goal is to play on the LPGA in the future. I love playing on the European Tour; I love the tournaments and the venues we go to, but I’m going to go to LPGA Q-School at the end of the year and see how that goes. That’s where the best players are and the money is a lot better over there. I do want to go over there.