LADIES European Tour winner Hannah Burke finished 25th on the 2019 Order of Merit despite playing only half a season because of a serious injury.
The 2015 Tipsport Czech Golf Masters champion was forced to miss the second half of the year as she recovered from her achilles problem after a freak injury back in her home county.
The former Hertfordshire Girls Champion has continued her rehab in Australia after Christmas in a race to be fit for the start of the 2020 season when the Australian Ladies Classic gets under way late on Wednesday night UK time, at Bonville Golf Resort.
Burke’s last appearance on the LET was when she finished tied sixth at the Ladies European Thailand Championship, in June.
Hannah, who came through the junior ranks at Mid Herts GC, said: “Well, it’s been challenging. After Thailand, the following Friday I fractured my left ankle and ruptured my achilles while I was on the golf course at East Herts.
“I ran over to see someone and tripped over a sprinkler.
“Because I have a heart condition, they felt that surgery was too much of a risk, so I spent five weeks in plaster and then a further nine weeks in a moon boot, with daily adjustments to gain greater movement.
“So Australia is my first competitive start in eight months.
“I was playing quite well at the time, probably some of the best golf of my career, at a similar level to the run in 2015, when I did well in the Scottish, British and then won the Czech Open.
The freak accident ended her hopes of a strong showing in the Women’s British Open at Woburn.
A heartbroken Hannah added: “It is 40 minutes from my house, and I had a lot of friends and family planning to come to watch.
“The hardest thing was having to withdraw from the British Open and then every event on the LET.”
As a result of the enforced lay, Burke became an armchair sports fan.
“I watched all of Wimbledon, the Cricket World Cup, the Netball World Cup, the men’s British Open and caught up on Netflix and all of sport,” she revealed.
“It was too tough to watch the Women’s British Open, because I should have been playing in it and not being able to do anything was such a contrast.
“It was quite fun that week though because a lot of the girls came over to see me and catch up.
So what did the former England Girls international miss the most about Tour life?
“Everything – the travel, the people, the competition. I missed everything about the tour,” said Hannah, who joined the LET back in 2011, and is Essendon GC’s touring pro.
“I had been travelling constantly since the age of 18, when I went to university in the United States, so I hadn’t ever been in the UK for such a long time.
“I would wake up each day with nothing to do and I couldn’t do anything either, so not having a daily routine was challenging.”
As a result Hannah – who completed a golf scholarship at Baylor University in the USA – cannot wait to get going in 2020.
She said: “I love Australia. Being over here, playing with wombats and koalas, the weather is great and I’m catching up with everyone.
“It’s great to be back on the golf course with a card in my hand, doing what I love.
“You don’t realise how much you love what you do until you’re not able to do it anymore. Now I’m much more appreciative.
Hannah Burke missed out in ISPS Handa Vic Open qualifier
Hannah was Down Under when the ISPS Handa Vic Open was held, but did not make the field.
“I played in qualifying for the Vic Open at Sanctuary Lakes, which was my first 18 holes since the injury and I shot two-under, so I was the second reserve.
“I’ve been seeing Andy Levick, who used to work as the osteopath on the LET and has a clinic in Melbourne, so I’m feeling really good.
“It’s just getting more competitive rounds in, as my left leg is noticeably smaller than my right, muscle-wise.”
She had two weeks of practice to prepare for the Bonville and then attempted to qualify for the Australian Ladies Open.
“I don’t have masses of expectations. I’m just happy to be back playing,” said Hannah. “I’m not 100 per cent fit, but I’m hitting the ball well and just taking each day as it comes.
“I want to play well, and I wouldn’t be over here if I thought I wasn’t ready to compete.
“I’d like to get some good rounds in. To post two-under in my first 18 holes in seven-and-a-half months was pretty good.
Having recorded four top-10s from 10 starts in 2019, including tied fourth positions in the Lalla Meryem Cup and Jabra Ladies Open, what would Hannah count as a successful season?
“Well I’m doing all the right things and there’s nothing more I can do, so my aim is to get back to where I was in June.
“When I start in Bonville, it will have been eight months since my last tournament, so I’m just happy to be back out doing what I love. I’m very relaxed but also excited to see how I get on.”
•Follow the progress of Hannah Burke in round one of the Australian Ladies Classic by clicking here. She tees off at 8.10am local time.
Picture by TRISTAN JONES
