EP45: 🇲🇦🏌🏽♀️The Long Game: Maha Haddioui, the first Arab golfer on the Ladies European Tour, on the mental fortitude required to stay on top in the sport
Description
Hi guys,
Our guest today is from Morocco, a country that was recently rocked by a devastating earthquake. We would like to take a moment to acknowledge the loss that Morocco has experienced and our thoughts are with its people during this difficult time. We’ve also linked some global aid initiatives that you can support below.
Back to today’s guest and an honest unveiling of the hustle behind the glamour of professional golf. Moroccan golfer Maha Haddioui made headlines when she became the first Arab to gain playing privileges on the Ladies European Tour 10 years back. It’s an honour that has gone on to inspire many more women from the region to dream of a career in golf.
But beyond the headlines, getting there - and staying there - is no easy feat. Being one of the toughest individual sports, the odds of becoming a pro golfer are between 0.4% down to 0.006%.
Add to that being a woman in the sport, and the challenges of fewer tournaments, a much smaller prize purse and pool of sponsors, and lack of visibility can make this a career that needs a Plan B.
But Maha took a gamble on herself, getting the LET tour card and then going to the Olympics twice - in 2016 Brazil and 2021 Tokyo - the latter being the highlight of her career as she scored a hole-in-one. We found a clip of the EPIC shot HERE.
In this episode, we discuss Maha’s journey into golf and the immense joy it brings her, but we also chat about the mental fortitude and discipline required to keep going in the game.
We discuss strategies to keep your cool through frustrating shots and the power of visualisation for wins. Maha also shares her insights on the changing face of golf and major moves to elevate the women’s game by countries in the region.
To follow Maha Haddioui, head to @mahahaddioui
To know more about the Ladies European Tour, visit ladieseuropeantour.com
Follow updates from the Saudi Aramco Team Series by visiting aramcoteamseries.com
To support aid Initiatives for Morocco, head to:
Moroccan Red Crescent Society
Global Giving
Unicef
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Our wider support team for this episode includes Editor JJ Thompson and our Artwork is by the talented Alexandra Hickey of a href="https://www.studiotheodore.com/"...
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