Like many athletes, professional golfer Lydia Hall turned to other work in a bid to make ends meet during lockdown.
The 34-year-old from Bridgend traded driving balls down courses on the Ladies European Tour for driving parcels around the roads of south Wales.
Eighteen months on, Hall is preparing to make her debut at the US Women’s Open in Southern Pines, North Carolina.
It will be her seventh major and she cannot wait to get started.
“I absolutely love doing this and I’m a competitor at heart,” Hall told BBC Sport Wales.
“It makes you appreciate playing professional golf a bit more when you’re knocking on 66 of a random street in the middle of Bridgend and you’ve got to hand over a parcel and run back to your car to do the next one in rain, snow or whatever the conditions are.”
The Open takes place at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club from 2-5 June and Hall will be the sixth Welsh player to compete at the prestigious major.
“I’m massively proud of myself to be the first Welsh player since 2014 and I’ll be flying the flag strongly for Wales this weekend,” she said.
It has been a busy few weeks for Hall who qualified for the Open by winning a thrilling five way play-off at the European Tour qualifier at Buckinghamshire Golf Club last month.
She had only flown in from Thailand the day before after competing at the Asian Mixed Stableford.
“I started at half four in the morning and didn’t end until 7pm,” she said.
“We played the 36 holes a bit jet lagged but with enough energy to get the job done, but then to find out I’d got into the play-off and for it to go for another additional five holes was another test.
“Luckily I had the longevity and concentration to get me through.”
Call for Welsh Open
There is a record $10m purse this year at the US Women’s Open but it is not unusual for players on the European tour to have a second job during the off-season.
“We are not in the fortunate position where we are playing for a million dollars every single week,” Hall said.
“With the coverage the LPGA get over here, it’s quite easy to market yourself as you know you’re going to be on TV so sponsors are throwing themselves at the players.
“It’s not like that on the European Tour but hopefully that will change in the next few years.”
Hall would also love to see the Women’s Welsh Open return to the European tour. The tournament only ran for two years in 1995 and 1996 at St Pierre Golf and Country Club in Chepstow.
“I love playing in the Scottish Open, the British and the Irish Open,” she said.
“There are five Welsh girls on tour now so it would be huge to get a Welsh Open back.
“Especially having the Women’s British Open at Royal Porthcawl in 2025, let’s see if we can get some success out of this and get some talk started.”