“It felt like it couldn’t go any worse” – a newspaper ad seen by the mother paved the way for golfer Matilda Castrén when her career was at a dead end

Matilda Castrén will compete in the LPGA Tour race in Maryland this weekend.

Summer is a busy time for professional golfers, however Matilda Castrén had time to pop in at the beginning of June after the US Open in Finland. The cause or culprit was important.

– My brother is getting married. So we came with my boyfriend for a couple of weeks to spend time and enjoy being with the family, Castrén says at Talma Golf Course.

So there is no question of a summer vacation. While in Finland, Castrén has the opportunity to practice as well as Petteri Nykyn that mental coach Katja Pasasen with. Today he is dating both.

– In recent years, the terms of the corona have passed and contacts with both have been largely telephone and video calls. Wonderful to see face-to-face Castrén laugh.

Last season was a real breakthrough for Castrén. First win on the LPGA Tour, 18th place in the Olympics and a decisive hit for the European team to win the United States Solheim Cup.

As a memory of great moments, racket protectors of different colors split the Finnish bag. Some of the clubs are also decorated with Finnish flags formed by Olympic rings.

– Finland is always involved, says Castrén, who enjoys the United States.

– As soon as I first came home, I had to get rye bread, Karelian pies and my mother’s gravy.

Last season, Castrén reached the top 20 in several races and earned more than € 600,000 in prize money. Now that the season is starting to be midway through, Castren’s best place is 25th. There have been some top performances inside the tournaments, but also great difficulties.

– Honestly, it hasn’t gone quite as well as I expected. The strokes have become 7 to 10 meters longer, and it has been challenging to adapt to the game itself. Sometimes the slip is long and difficult to control, Castrén says.

– On the other hand, I feel that this is a good problem. I have done a lot of work in front of the meters, both physically and technically. Measurement has become more, and that was the goal. This is now just a kind of transition, Castrén apricots.

Indeed, only 27-year-old athletes still have years to play.

– The road is long. Looking sometime afterwards, one year certainly looks really short. At the moment, it feels like I’m on the right track and moving forward. Although it doesn’t always look like it. Yes, I expect better results in the late summer, Castrén says.

Castrén has worked with mental coach Katja Pasanen for four years. Pasanen, who played hockey himself, has coaching experience from masters of many different sports, from basketball to cheerleading.

– In many cases, athletes get in touch when there are problems in their careers. However, I would encourage you to talk to your mental coach without any worries. Strengths and good feelings can also be strengthened, Pasanen reminds.

Castrén contacted Pasase at just the moment his career was in pain. Since then, co-operation has been regular, albeit mainly at a distance during the Korona period.

– In 2018, it felt like it couldn’t go any worse. However, I wanted to play even though I didn’t know how to proceed. Mom had seen an article about Katja in the magazine and asked if a message would be put. Here it is now, Castrén smiles.

Conversations with Pasanen have given Castrén the keys to emotional control. These are largely what sports are all about.

– When you start from the fact that the feeling belongs in sports and accepts and tolerates different feelings, it already goes a long way, Pasanen summarizes.

– Everyone can find their own ways to keep the mind balanced. At the US Open, for example, I had divided the race into six parts and clearly written down what I was aiming for from any section, Castrén opens his emotion map.

There was indeed a need for tunnel tags at the US Open as well. Eighth place on the opening day flowed down the second day of the race, but Castren managed to fight his way to the final two laps.

– When I started thinking too much about results and failures, it made me annoyed. However, I reminded myself of what I had promised and was still able to implement the plan. I was happy about that, Castrén recalls.

On the third day, the difficulties culminated again in the bunker. Castrén asked the referee for permission to move the loose stone in front of the ball, but it was eventually loose sand. He was sentenced to extra punches.

– So the final round went in that I tried to fight those extra punches away, maybe a little aggressively at first. However, I had written up a few themes again that reminded me, and it really helped a lot, Castrén says.

After the race, the Finn was still credited with extra shots in the third round because he had not deliberately tried to improve the taste of the ball. In the performance strip, Castrén moved from 50th in the worst to 44th, and in the most money-rich women’s race of all time, she received nicely more prize money, as much as € 30,000.

Although the stakes and pressures for professional golfers are high, Katja Pasanen can give a little tip on how to regulate the minds of Sunday golfers.

– If you’ve always hit a certain point on the field, you may be ready to hit with the attitude that this is definitely going to go there again! But often that’s exactly what happens. So what if you focused on where you want the ball to go? And through that, would you seek that feeling of accomplishment?