Five years after turning professional, Victorian Stephanie Bunque reveals the disruption caused by COVID and the disqualification that threatened to derail her career.
When I look back on the past five years, it does feel quick, but a lot has happened. There’s been a lot of self-exploration and development and maturity. It’s been a hell of a five years.
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I honestly thought I would be a little bit further in my career after five years, but in saying that, I did turn pro at a strange time. I turned pro at the start of 2021 and then COVID messed things up in terms of travel and tournaments. It was kind of a funny two years after that where I felt like I wasn’t doing anything to progress my career. But when I look back on it, I just fell victim to the things that were going on and there was nothing that I could really do about it.
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I struggled a bit, especially being from Melbourne, being in the toughest lockdowns out of everyone. I couldn’t even practise. I was lucky enough to escape in ’21 and go to the US for Q-School and things like that. But I made it to Second Stage and I got myself DQ’d when I used a rangefinder with the slope setting on.
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I think it was six holes in when I realised. That was when we got to the first elevated green on the golf course and I saw that there were two numbers on my rangefinder and I was like, What the heck’s that about? I called a rules official over and I told them what happened. I finished out the nine and on the 10th tee, they said, “Yeah, you’re done.” That’s something I struggled with for a long time.
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Only recently, I’ve realised that from that moment up until now, I’ve really, truly felt like this game owed me something. To go through all of this and feel like I wasn’t progressing and getting results and things like that, it really was weighing on me like a big mental battle. Once I was finally able to accept and realise that I’m not owed anything, I started to own that and take control. I think I’ve made some really good positive steps once I’ve managed to let that weight go off my own shoulders.
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I made nine cuts in nine tournaments on the LET Access Series last year and I credit those nine cuts to my new coach, Gareth Jones. He was really good at just allowing me to be how I am. He was just a really good support system. As good as he is as a coach, he hasn’t really done too much to change me technically. He’s really just allowed me to lean into him for support and another voice. That really helped gain my confidence again.
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I got a new psych as well. I changed my team up a lot last year just because I felt I needed something to change in my career for me to change. I had obviously been thinking this for a very long time, but I had never actually come out and said how I felt about that DQ. When I came out and said it, it was very shocking to me. I was like, Wow, this is actually how I feel. Once I was able to get that out, it freed me up a bit.
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I had a bit of luck at the First Stage of Ladies European Tour Qualifying School last year. Coming into the weekend, it was top 19 and ties that advanced to the second week. At the completion of the last round, I was tied 20th. I’d missed out by one shot. I’d already gone back to my hotel room, looking at changing my flights home, and then I got a text message from our tournament director saying, “Look at the leaderboard.” They had rehashed the numbers, which meant top 21 and ties got in. That moment was probably the first time I felt like I had a bit of luck on my side. It has really unlocked something in my brain and now I feel like I’m happy to be here and very grateful to be here.
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At the end of 2023 I went to Q-School and I missed Final Stage by one shot. And then in 2024, I went back to the Access Series, didn’t make the top 32, so I didn’t get into Final Stage. I decided earlier that year that if I didn’t make it straight to Final Stage, I wouldn’t go to Q-School. I didn’t have money. I literally had no money. I was about to quit. And that’s when I decided that things needed to change.
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It was about that time that I wanted to do a bit of TV commentary. I got in touch with some of the broadcast team and dabbled a little bit. It didn’t really take off the way I thought it would and I’m glad it didn’t.
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I’m now a full member of the Ladies European Tour. People have said that I look like a different player now. I’m glad that’s coming through, because that’s how I feel. There are obviously still some things I have to smooth out with my game, but there really is just a different sort of feeling I have internally that’s allowing me to move forward rather than standing in my own way. It’s a good feeling.
Photograph by PGA of Australia/brett costello
