Olivia starts strong ahead of Portuguese International

Olivia Mehaffey has a big year ahead. Pic: Presseye

She finished a very credible fifth in the South American Amateur Open and then boarded a plane for the Portuguese International Ladies Amateur Championship.

Olivia finished two shots off winner Sofia Garcia in Peru but left the course frustrated after parring her final 12 holes.

Mehaffey lamented over her struggles to combine her long and short games.

“I was pretty surprised how well I got back into playing competitively again,” she said. “It was a weird week on the course.

“I struggled with my ball striking and putted well in the first three rounds then in the last round, I hit everything at the pin.

“I was obviously disappointed not to get the win when I hit it so good in the final round and couldn’t get much to drop but that’s golf.

“At the start of the week I would have taken the score and the position. It’s a nice start to build on. Now I’m looking forward to Portugal and another challenge.”

The four-round Portuguese tournament begins on Wednesday.