After a short stint competing over the Ditch, Whangarei's Caroline Bon is back in New Zealand to contest her first major as a professional on home soil.
The 23-year-old made her professional debut last month, joining the Australian LPGA.
While she is still getting used to being a professional and becoming more
consistent over 18 holes, she said what she had learnt in a short space of time had been hugely influential on her game.
She is gearing up to put that knowledge to good use in the Pegasus New Zealand Open Championships, teeing off at Christchurch today.
"I'm so excited to be back in New Zealand and I'm really looking forward to playing in the Open," she said.
Bon arrived in Christchurch on Monday, flying in from Brisbane after playing in the Australian Masters.
The young golfer was pleased with her second round at the Masters, despite missing out on the cut.
Her first round score of four-over par 76 left her with little hope of making the cut in the low-scoring competition but last Friday's two-under 70 was a vast improvement and lifted her spirits ahead of the NZ Open, which concludes on Sunday.
"I was really happy with what I achieved in Australia. My goal was to make the top 10 rookie list and I did that. The reason I turned pro this year was to get more competition against top players and, although I missed the cut, it was a tough cut to make and it's still awesome to be among some of the best players around," Bon said.
"I sent a video of my swing to my coach Quentin Diment via the internet and he analysed it and helped me out a lot. I feel like I'm hitting the ball way better than I was last week thanks to those tips."
Bon had a practice round yesterday at Pegasus Golf Course, where she was getting used to the very different greens in Christchurch to those in Brisbane.
Bon is expecting a strong field to tee off today in the Open, including top English professional Laura Davies, and she was excited about being a part of it.
Following the Open, Bon will return to Whangarei and take a week off.
