Tandi Cuningham’s game needs serious repair
Tandi Cuningham’s game has not been daunting this year.
The 2011 season saw her clinch the 22nd place at the Hero Honda Women’s Indian Open at the DLF Golf and Country Club, New Delhi. The 22nd position was in fact a tie.
She made appearances in 22 tournaments throughout the year, with her performance in New Delhi apparently being her best.
She ended the season at the 103rd place on the money list, having earned over €16,684.50. On her return to Qualifying school, she was able to secure the 20th card in the 8a category.
She was born in Johannesburg but moved to Bela Bela shortly thereafter and first played out of Zebula Golf Estate and Spa situated in the same city.
She started playing golf at the tender age of 15, being introduced to the sport by her father. Mr. Marina was a noted social golfer in the immediate vicinity, where Tandi grew up and first learnt the art of driving a small ball into a small hole in as little
tries as possible.
She still plays out of Zebula Golf Estate and Spa. It is where she first met her husband Paul Cuningham who, coincidentally, also plays out of Zebula Golf Estate and Spa.
Paul is a teaching professional at Zebula Golf Estate and Spa and has on a number of occasions coached his wife on the better techniques of putting and driving the ball straight from fairways lined with challenging roughs.
Besides coaching Tandi, Paul has caddied for the Ladies European Tour professional on a host of occasions.
She has, on a number of occasions, affirmed that it was Paul’s coaching and her father’s influence that got her to the sport in the first place.
Both have been huge influences on her golfing career, and have been an inspiration to her when her career hit an all time low recently.
Tandi’s professional career highlights have been few and far between. She turned professional on the 20th of November 2008.
Her career best position came in 2010, where she tied at the Hero Honda Women’s Indian Open. She lost the first place to Laura Davies because of a four-way play-off, which she was not familiar with at the time.
A year after she turned pro, she had a chance at golfing in eight tournaments of the season, where she managed to clinch two cuts.
It was 2009 and her best tie of the season was in Netherlands at the very Dutch ABN AMRO Ladies Open.
“I’ve had a lot of girls ask me because a couple of them found out that I used to teach. At first I thought, not really, because I don’t have time. Each week is different and you don’t know where you are.
“You tend to value your own time quite highly as a golfer with preparation and practice and getting to strategize for the course in the week.
“I get to actively participate for an hour and I got a bit tired of the girls begging me to do it! I’m enjoying it, I really am and I think the girls will benefit from it from the short to the long term”.
Let’s hope Tandi can get back into the saddle with a win-streak or two. As it turns out, the Ladies European Tour could really use a South African win or two in the coming future.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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