DOWN GOLFER OLIVIA Mehaffey has announced her decision to “take some time away” from the game to prioritise her mental health.
In a powerful statement released on Twitter this afternoon, Mehaffey shared her intentions “to get the help I need” and “focus on myself as a person ahead of an athlete” following the death of her father Phillip last year.
Always a golfing influence and her biggest supporter, Philip passed away in December after a long battle with cancer.
— Olivia Mehaffey (@OliviaMehaffey) August 27, 2022
“Since the end of last year I’ve been in denial and tried to brush all my feelings aside. I hid behind golf and didn’t give myself anytime to heal,” Mehaffey wrote today.
“I pushed everyone who wanted to talk and help away. I constantly told myself I was fine, I was coping, life was ok. Until everything caught up with me a few months ago and reality hit me.
I’ve tried to put a smile on my face and hide behind the fact I can’t make it through a day without crying, without feeling lost, without feeling broken inside and feeling so isolated from everyone. I feel I have lost myself and I can’t find happiness right now.
“I’m learning that grief is a weird thing, something you don’t know how you will handle and what the next day will bring. It has taken me 8 months to admit I need help to get through this, to learn how to move forward, to navigate through life without my dad here.
Therefore, I have decided to take some time away to get the help I need and be surrounded by my family. I’m not sure when I will come back on tour, but I feel right now I need to focus on myself as a person ahead of an athlete.”
The 24-year-old former Arizone State College star started the season brightly but has struggled with her playing form in recent months, having missed nine straight cuts on the Ladies European Tour.
