Karrie Webb knows she can’t turn back the tide but she’s working out harder to keep up with the rising wave of young golf talent.
Forty-year-old Webb begins her Women’s Australian Open title defence at Royal Melbourne on Thursday against the likes of 17-year-old world No.1 Lydia Ko and Australian 18-year-olds Su Oh, who won the Ladies Masters on Sunday, and Minjee Lee, a former world amateur No.1.
Webb said her competitive fire was still burning as she seeks to add a sixth Australian Open title to her collection.
“It makes you feel old when your rookie year was before these players were born but when we’re competing against each other I don’t see age as a difference,” Webb said.
“We all have the same goal and that’s to get the white ball in the hole.”
Following her 40th birthday celebrations in December, Webb said she hit the gym hard in the off-season, with one eye on competing for Australia at the Rio Olympics.
“I could get away with it when I was younger,” Webb said.
“I have to be a bit more diligent now and my body tells me that.
“The goal is to stay fit and healthy through to the end of next year and hopefully make the Olympic team.”
The winner of 57 professional titles including seven majors, Webb changed coaches last July, parting with long-time mentor Ian Triggs to hook up with American instructor Mike McGetrick.
Webb said her iron play had become inconsistent and she had lost distance off the tee and the change was about getting that back.
“All of a sudden it hit me that I was (hitting) substantially shorter than I ever have been,” she said.
“Making the change to a new coach was something that was very hard for me.
“I’m really working on the same principles but sometimes you just need to hear it a different way for it to click.”
Webb stormed to victory from five shots behind to claim last year’s Australian Open title at Victoria Golf Club.
She said winning at Royal Melbourne would be extra special.
“It would really be a feather in my cap,” Webb said.
“I’ve won at a lot of great golf courses when I’ve won the Australian Open and to add Royal Melbourne to that list would be an honour.”
The field this week includes four of the world’s top-10 women by virtue of its co-sanctioning status with the US LPGA Tour.
It’s a chance for New Zealander Ko to solidify her new top ranking, with No.2 Korean Inbee Park and American world No.3 Stacey Lewis not playing.
Chinese world No.4 Shanshan Feng and Korean No.7 So Yeon Ryu are also in the line-up.
2015 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open
When: Feb 19-22
Where: Royal Melbourne
Purse: $1,200,000
Par: 73 (6173m)
Notable players: World No.1 Lydia Ko (NZ), No.4 Shanshan Feng (Chi), No.7 So Yeon Ryu (Kor), No.9 Karrie Webb (Aus).
