Coaching them up

Professional golf careers can be likened to books, with each person’s life comprising chapters filled with unique themes, catalysts, climaxes and resolutions. In the early stages of life, transitioning between chapters is relatively smooth, often marked by achievements, graduations or stepping stones that signal progress. However, as individuals grow older, their concrete plans become more ambiguous, resembling pliable putty that can be shaped at will. Professional athletes, especially, constantly teeter on the edge of uncertainty, never knowing what lies ahead. Will they achieve a breakthrough performance or crumble in defeat? Are they ascending or descending? Most importantly, when will their sporting careers come to an end? Austin Ernst, a prominent player on the LPGA Tour, has grappled with these questions for the past 14 months. Frequent followers of the tour would have noticed Ernst’s absence from leaderboards for more than a year, a hiatus forced by an ongoing neck injury. However, in June, Ernst made her return to the LPGA Tou...