Zorzi calls it a day, with hopes of giving something back to golf
dubai — As the sun sunk behind the picture post-card Dubai skyline, Italian Veronica Zorzi strode off into the sunset, taking with her some amazing memories, and with the hope of giving something back to golf.
The 37-year-old brought an end to a 16-year professional career on the Ladies European Tour and the Omega Dubai Ladies Classic was her last event.
And the Majlis Course at the Emirates Golf Club held some special memories for the Tour veteran as she had finished runners-up to Germany’s Anja Monke, back in 2008. Zorzi, who turned pro in 2000 before joining the Ladies European Tour a year later, signed off in Dubai with a nine over on Thursday.
The Verona native finished with two wins on the Ladies European Tour — the Vediorbis Open de France Dames in 2005, which she successfully went on to defend the next season.
Zorzi played in 211 tournaments on the Tour and had 42 top 10 finishes. The lowest round she shot during her career was a 64. Zorzi finished 134 on the Order of Merit in her final season.
“I’m feeling a bit sad. I mean, because it’s been almost 16 years on Tour, so it’s a big part of my life. When I was walking on the course today, I was just thinking all the time that I come here, you know, the memories that I got, stuff like that. It’s a little bit sad, but I want to see in the future, I’m going to stay working in golf. So it’s going to be good, anyway,” Zorzi said on Thursday.
“It’s not an easy life for a woman. I mean, it’s not so easy because we have to travel a lot and stuff like that. But I think I was very lucky to be on Tour so many years, and play also well. I’m happy in what I did in my career, so I’m happy,” she added.
The next stage of Zorzi’s life involves taking care of her twoyear-old son Ettore as well as coaching golf near her home. “Yeah, I decided this is my last tournament because I’ve got a baby that’s two years old right now, and also I have a new job,” Zorzi said.
“I’m teaching and coaching at a golf club that’s just a half an hour from my home at Villa Paradiso in Peschiera del Garda, near Lake Garda. We have an academy and I’m involved in teaching kids, both boys and girls. I have a group between 8-11 years old,” she added.
Zorzi, whose best season on Tour was in 2006 when she finished fifth on the Order of Merit, went on maternity leave just after the 2014 to give birth Ettore, who was born in November 2015.
Looking back on her career, Zorzi said she had fond memories of finishing second here in Dubai as well as her two wins on the Tour.
“I have good memories here when I finished second to Anja in 2008. Also, when I won the French Open two times, and then the World Cup that we played. It was nice to have events that we play on a team because we don’t usually play on a team. I remember the European Cup, the World Cup that we played, was a nice memory,” she said.
“Now I want to try to give all my experience to young people and try to grow golf in Italy because it is still quite a low participation rate. I hope to train somebody to become a great player in the future,” hoped Zorzi. sports@khaleejtimes.com