Loise Kaye Go (middle) is awarded during the SM Seaside Cebu’s homecoming event for Cebuano SEA Games medalists. CDN Digital photo | Glendale Rosal
CEBU CITY, Philippines—Cebuana golfer Loise Kaye “LK” Go looks to turn pro this year as she returned to the United States following her bronze medal stint in the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Hanoi, Vietnam last month.
In an interview with CDN Digital, the 23-year-old Cebuana from Guadalupe City, who is based in South Carolina in the US, said that one of her main goals this year is turning pro.
However, Go knows that becoming a pro will be an uphill climb.
Last June 11, Go and six other Cebuano athletes received a warm homecoming event from SM Seaside City Cebu to honor their achievements in the recent 31st SEA Games.
READ: Cebuano SEA Games medalists receive heroes’ welcome during homecoming fete at SM Seaside Cebu
After the homecoming event, Go said that she will be going back to the United States immediately to continue campaigning in amateur and pro tournaments, including a pro qualifying tilt in August.
“I’m playing for qualifying tournaments in August. You need to go through multiple stages in order for you to earn a tour card. Each stage you have to be in a certain rank to advance in the next stage. It’s a series of events,” said Go, who led Team Philippines in bagging the bronze medal in the team event of women’s golf in the SEA Games.
She teamed up with Rianne Mikhaela Malixi to reach the women’s team golf event’s semifinals during the SEA Games. It was Go’s third SEA Games stint as she won the gold medal in 2019 in the same category and an individual bronze medal in the 2017 SEA Games.
Go is one of the most celebrated young golfers in the country today. She won the gold medal in the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia by topping the women’s team golf along with Yuka Saso and Bianca Pagdanganan.
According to Go, she already feels the pressure mounting on her side as she returns to the U.S. for the series of tournaments she will be vying to earn her pro status.
“There’s definitely a pressure because I tried last year, I didn’t do well. There’s a pressure in a sense that I really want to do well to get there. I want to turn pro and play in the LPGA Tour, at the same time, I’m also trying not to really put so much pressure on myself. So, I can go out there and play freely, and God willing he will grant me my life-long dream,” said Go.
Despite the pressure, she feels motivated and honored to continue representing the Philippines, particularly Cebu, in her upcoming stints.
“It’s always an honor and privilege to represent the country, represent Cebu, It was very grateful being out there. It’s always a lot of fun, we had a really good team and a great group of people. Really grateful, happy to be here. Being here in this event to celebrate our accomplishments. It’s just really happy.” said Go.
“So, I really enjoyed my experience out there. I came back I think two months before SEA Games. I was in Manila the whole time, pretty much. We went to Hanoi for a few days to see the course, be able to practice. We also had a tournament in Thailand, a week before we left.”
/bmjo
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