We often talk about tour life as a traveling circus, although not many clowns or trapeze artists fly NetJets. But the concept is the same. Performers, support staff, and those of us who cover them roll into town for a weeklong show held amid temporary structures and concession stands. The costumes are flashy, and the skill of the acts often elicits squeals of glee. Then on Sunday night, when the hoopla deflates like a leaky balloon, exhausted stars pack up and head to the next stop, sometimes in a convoy, but most often alone.
When you’re on the outside looking in, it’s easy to forget that our favorite entertainers have homes, central bases from which to carve some normalcy into lives that are anything but. When you’re on the road six days a week for more than half the year, having a hub is more valuable than all the purses combined. It’s the center of your world, the place where the soul finds nourishment while the batteries recharge. When David Duval was the No. 1 player in the world, he summed it up best when he said, “It doesn’t matter how nice the place is; it’s not your house. It can be at the best resort in the world, but it’s still not your bed or your couch. You still don’t know the channels on the television remote.”
In other words, there’s no place like home.
The latest winner to figure that out is England’s Meghan MacLaren, who captured the Australian Women’s Classic on the Ladies European Tour two weeks ago. MacLaren, one of the most thoughtful and literary professionals in our game, found her game when she found her center. And the biggest part of that resurgence was moving back to the UK.
“Golf is such a grounded game that you have to have that starting point, that place where you say, ‘This is where I’m comfortable; this is where I’m confident,’ and you build from there,” MacLaren said while still in Australia. “It’s hard to have that in a place that’s not your home.”
There was some irony in the 27-year-old from Northamptonshire speaking so glowingly about coming home while on the other side of the world. But all three of MacLaren’s LET victories have come in Australia, a trend she can’t quite understand or explain.
“I love the atmosphere here,” she said of her time in Australia. “It’s quite chill and laid back. There’s good coffee, and good food, and very welcoming people. I’ve just always felt comfortable in this country. And I have good memories here as well.”
Plus, the golf is incredible. “I’ve barely touched the surface of the golf that is here, but the Australian Opens that I’ve played in are some of the most fantastic courses in the world.”
"I’ve made the commitment to do what’s best for me and my golf, while also being more flexible in thinking about what that means.”
Meghan MacLaren
Part of the reason she is playing well 10,500 miles from home is because she has a home from which to calculate the distance. Last year, MacLaren committed to play the Symetra (noe Epson) Tour in America. And though she had one win and two other top-10 finishes in the States, she was living in the guest room of a friend’s house in Florida where she constantly felt off balance.
“I was going to do it this year,” MacLaren said. “I was all set and confident. But it didn’t take me long to realize that all the things I sacrificed last year – feeling comfortable and grounded and having the support around me – was going to affect my golf. And if I wasn’t going to get the things I needed out of my golf, given everything else that I was sacrificing, what was the point?”
She played two Epson Tour events early in 2022 and missed both cuts before making the call to return to Europe.
“It was a tough decision to make, even though I knew those things intuitively,” she said. “But as soon as I got home and got to the first event (on the LET), I realized what I had been missing. When I came home this year, being able to see my friends and my coaches and family, there was a sense of being grounded. I felt as though this was my starting point, and you work around that place.
“I didn’t realize how much I missed that until I came back.”
She may still show up in the States on occasion. “If I get into some majors, I’ll travel back over in a heartbeat,” she said. “But other than that, I’m committed to the LET schedule. It feels good not to be confused or torn by thinking, ‘This is what I have to do to advance.’ I’ve given myself a bit more freedom by coming back here. Winning also opened a few more doors.
“So, I’ve made the commitment to do what’s best for me and my golf, while also being more flexible in thinking about what that means.”
Then she thought for a moment, as she does often, and said, “It’s hard to put your finger on what having that center point gives you, but intuitively you know it’s important.”
The answer to that one is easy: It gives you a home.
Top: England's Meghan MacLaren is happiest and most grounded when she's at home on LET.
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