A more luxurious airplane seat was the first of what are likely to be numerous advantages stemming from a career-defining two weeks for young English golfer Annabell Fuller.
The 22-year-old rewarded herself with an upgrade after making the most of her last-minute entry into the PIF Saudi Ladies International. Once there, she was outperformed only by world number four Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand and South Korea’s Somi Lee.
Of all the events on the Ladies European Tour to excel in, this is the one to aim for. Valued at a total of £3.9m, it overshadows the rest of the calendar on a circuit where financial stability is the primary focus.
It is unsurprising that Fuller requested a sponsor invitation into the line-up, but unlike last year, it was not granted.
So the previous week’s Lalla Meryem Cup, worth less than £375,000, suddenly gained considerable importance. “In Morocco, I told my caddie (Neal Herman), ‘It’s fine, we’ll just get a top 10’,” Fuller told BBC Sport.
A result of such significance in Morocco was the only remaining way into the Riyadh competition. And she was true to her promise, finishing in sixth place.
“I was probably just as delighted with that as I would have been if I’d claimed victory,” Fuller said. “I desperately wanted to go to Saudi because it is one of our most prestigious tournaments.”
The Roehampton-born golfer, who turned professional a year ago after studying at the University of Florida, returned to Saudi Arabia a transformed player from the novice of 12 months ago.
“I saw that if you made the cut in Saudi, you would get $10,000, which is basically what I earned for coming sixth in Morocco,” Fuller said.
“So my small target was to survive the cut, and that would be a stepping stone forward again. And then, obviously, I did a bit more than that.”
Fuller kicked off with scores of 66 and 68, and in the final round, she fought back from early mistakes to record a 71, which left her 11 under par, five strokes behind the champion and in third place on her own.
She secured more than £205,000, which she agreed amounts to a life-altering sum. “That’s one way of describing it,” Fuller said.
“I still haven’t fully processed what happened, but I adjusted a couple of my flight bookings to enhance my travel experience a little bit. The entire perspective of this year has shifted now. I’ve got new ambitions compared to seven days ago.
“Now, I have the same tally of points after two competitions as I did in 22 matches last year.”
Twelve months ago, Fuller told BBC Sport she would give her professional journey an initial three years and see how much of her father’s finances she would need to rely on.
“In one week, essentially, I’ve secured my next three years without depending on my dad,” Fuller grinned. “I was on the return flight that I had booked, and I saw Charley Hull seated up front in business class.
“And it was a strange, surreal moment, realizing that’s going to be my reality now too. It was amazing, I kind of giggled about it.”
Getting by on the Ladies European Tour is far from simple. Three-time LET titleholder Meghan MacLaren highlighted the challenge in a recent post on X, where she listed her January expenses.
They included tour registration fees of nearly £700, close to £2,000 in airfare, agency costs of £2,688, as well as indoor training fees, an Australian entry visa costing £214, and fitness and physiotherapy charges.
Altogether, the 30-year-old spent £6,551.85 for the month. Another English golfer, Eddie Pepperell, estimates he invests £5,000 per event in expenses, travelling in economy class to and from venues.
And unless a competitor has supportive sponsors, the only way to recover such costs is by delivering results on the golf course. Only those at the pinnacle of the leading tours are spared what can be a grueling, unpredictable journey.
This is a valuable perspective in which to assess Fuller’s triumph, because it was self-earned.
“It’s a small but significant mental shift, but knowing I had earned my place in Saudi instead of receiving an invite was, I believe, a huge difference,” Fuller said.
“My trainer texted me and said, ‘Go prove to them that you belong here.’ Now, I trust myself a little bit more.”
Fuller drew motivation from the display of her friend and fellow Brit Cara Gainer, who claimed victory in the Moroccan contest earlier this month.
“I admired her and how she organizes herself; she is very determined,” Fuller said. “Watching her succeed, I realized I wasn’t far off that week.”
Fuller says she benefited from returning to Florida for training after Christmas, and her new caddie, Herman, has assisted her mentality on the golf course. “We bond really well,” she said.
“We’ve been learning more about each other and chatting frequently, and I know it sounds trivial, but I was in a positive state of mind and felt content.”
Fuller’s primary ambition this year was to progress from 66th on the LET’s ranking list, which brought in around £73,000 last year, and break into the top 30. But now, travel upgrades are not the only improvement.
“With a few more successful performances, I could reach the LET top 10, which would secure me a spot in the final stage of LPGA Q School, and maybe I can automatically qualify for some of the major championships,” Fuller said.
“Instead of competing through qualification rounds, my target now is to rank high enough to earn direct entry into the AIG Women’s Open (at Royal Porthcawl from 30 July-3 August), so that would be pretty remarkable.”
Fuller is still chasing a maiden tour victory, but now she believes it is within her reach. As she demonstrated last week, this young Englishwoman has progressed immensely in her first 12 months on tour since graduating from LET Tour School.
“It’s a whole new world,” she concluded. “Now I’m a bit more knowledgeable about travel arrangements, and I have my own routines.
“A year ago, it almost came out of nowhere, and I almost wasn’t ready for it. Whereas now, I’ve embraced that this is my lifestyle.”
