Wiser Bondad gets set for battle on LET

BY Liz White | Ladies European Tour | 2009 Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open | General | 06 May 2009

When the 2009 LET starts its European season in Switzerland next week, there’ll be one smarter and wiser player teeing it up.

Sydney’s Frances Bondad says her rookie season last year was one of the toughest things she has ever experienced.

“It was a disappointing and painful year for me, emotionally as well as mentally,” the former Australian number one amateur admits.

After finishing third in the 2007 LET qualifying school, Bondad thought her first season as a professional would be a successful one.

“I was so pumped, I was like ’I can do this, I can do well,’” she said.

“Maybe not dominate but be in contention all the time and then my expectation was so high and the moment where I was missing cuts it put me down so much.”

“It affected me a lot.”

So devastated after missing eight cuts in a row, Bondad sought solace back home in Sydney.

“I went home for a couple of weeks just to refresh. I came back and then missed the next three cuts,” she said.

But this time Bondad did not give up, she just tried a different approach.

“I stopped expecting and I stopped trying and then I made the last three cuts out of the four tournaments which was good,” she said.

Bondad finished 93rd on the Ladies European Tour money list, unfortunately not enough to retain her full playing card for 2009.

She decided to return to Q-School and try for a full playing card for 2009 rather than rely on the conditional status she had earned from her 2008 season.

The move paid off handsomely for the 21-year-old who finished second at January’s Q-School in Spain.

“I just went there, I was so relaxed during the tournament nothing fazed me I didn’t have any pressure,” she said.

While Bondad believes not trying too hard led to her improved performances in the latter part of the 2008 season, she is now trying to balance that belief with a “never say die” approach for 2009.

“I have grown up a lot since last year because now I know not to give up during tournaments,” she said.

“There were some tournaments where I was playing so badly and I was like ’I know I am not going to make the cut’ and I would just give up in the middle of the round.”

It was an approach that would ultimately cost Bondad dearly.

“In Turkey I learnt that lesson where the cut was 13 over,” she said.

“I was 11 over at one stage and I thought that is not going to make the cut so I just played like I didn’t care.”

“Then I come into the clubhouse and the day is finished and then I learnt that 13 over was the cut. I finished on 15 over.”

At the end of the 2008 season, giving up in Turkey bit even deeper.

“If only I had made the cut in one more tournament, if I had made the cut in Turkey and actually concentrated I would have kept my card.”

“I missed out by 1500 euros.”

Bondad regrets that she gave up and agrees it would have saved her a lot of anxiety and money by not having to go to Spain in January this year to compete for a full 2009 LET card.

Armed with her card, Bondad’s 2009 LET season started well, with a top 20 finish at the co-sanctioned ANZ Ladies Masters at Queensland’s Royal Pines. Since the end of the Australian Open, where Bondad missed the cut in February she has stayed at home, practicing and getting fitter for the long season ahead in Europe.

Even though her rookie season didn’t turn out the way she had hoped, Bondad says she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I am glad it happened that way because I think if I hadn’t gone through what I went through last year I wouldn’t have become the better person that I am,” she said.

“I am a lot wiser, a lot smarter, travel smart and people smart.”

After visits to a sport motivator, Bondad is excited about the European season ahead and has set herself the goal of several top ten finishes – maybe even a win.

“I am just going to go into this year and not try as hard as I did last year and just be more relaxed and appreciate what I do more,” she said.

“Before I was like, ’why did I turn pro and I didn’t know it was going to be this hard and it’s so hard being away from home’ but now I will appreciate what I do.”

“I am really lucky to do what I do.”

Eight Australians will tee it up next week at the Deutsche Bank Swiss Open, which is being played at the Golf Gerre resort course in picturesque Losone.

Australia’s 2008 number one amateur and rookie pro, Stephanie Na has conditional status on the LET and is a reserve for the Swiss Open.

If the 19-year-old does get a start and finds the going tough, one person she may want to seek out is Bondad.

As they say nothing beats experience.