Johannesburg professional golfer Morgana Robbertze has been a familiar face in domestic and international Ladies European Tour (LET) tournaments for more than a decade. She started playing golf at the age of 19 and earned her junior and senior Springbok colours as an amateur. Standing at 1.77m tall, this blonde-haired, blue-eyed Johannesburg golfer has worked tirelessly to make her mark in women’s golf, with her most memorable victory to date being the Pam Golding South African Open in 2005. Last year, she competed in five LET events and made the cut at the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open. Anticipation is mounting for the Gauteng golfer as the clock ticks down to the start of the Cell C SA Women’s Open, a tournament she wants to win in front of a home crowd. Robbertze, who holds a diploma in Sports Psychology, has managed to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle which includes making time for some of her favourite pastimes including reading, playing tennis, rowing and yoga.
 |
| Pic from www.supersport.com - Morgana Robbertze © Gallo Images |
We chatted to 34-year old Morgana Robbertze about practising
yoga and the associated benefits…
Q: How long have you been practising yoga and why did you
choose this type of activity over other types of physical training?
A: I did yoga for about a year
when I had just come on to the Ladies European Tour. Actually I didn’t do yoga
exclusively, it was an addition to the cardio and strength training I was doing
at the time.
Q: How beneficial has yoga been for you and your game?
A: Yoga helped a lot to improve
my concentration and focus on the course.
Q: Other athletes have reported an increase in strength,
presence of mind and improved sleep as instant results due to the practice of
yoga. Did you experience the same results?
A: I did experience all of the
above but I’m also of the belief that you can use any discipline to harness
your inner strength and concentration, especially with physical activity.
Q: Did you see and experience further improvement as you
progressed in your career and on the LET?
A: Yes, I think the biggest
improvement was in the mental aspect of my game.
Q: Do you think that the practice of yoga gives you an
advantage over your fellow competitors?
A: I believe that any extra work
I do will benefit me more than my competitors.
Q: How do you implement what you’ve learnt in yoga classes
to your golf game?
A: My approach is a single-minded
one which sees me focussing completely using my body’s ability to help me in
pressurised situations.
Q: What do you love most about yoga?
A: It was a great form of
relaxation.
Q: Would you recommend yoga to other athletes?
A: Absolutely! You see results
and improvements soon after you start and it really helps with your focus and
core strength.  |
| Pic from www.sunshineladiestour.com |
Q&A done by Renelle Naidoo
No comments:
Post a Comment