SHAH ALAM, March 7 ― Eight years ago Nicole Blyth attended the Malaysian Open as a spectator, accompanying her mother, an avid golf fan to watch and take part in the festivities.
There, she met golf professional, Adam Blyth, and a friendship was struck.
So strong was that first meeting that years of long-distance relationship soon blossomed into love.
Fast forward to today, the Malaysian Open, now known as Bandar Malaysia Open 2020, is making a comeback after a four year hiatus and Nicole is married with a 10-month-old baby, to the man she met eight years ago at the very same tournament.
Not only that, Nicole has also taken up part-time caddying duties for Adam the tournament was being held, she could not resist the excuse to come back as she and Adam have settled in Australia.
“We actually met in one of the corporate tents, dated for awhile, did the long distance thing as he was travelling for two years while I was here (Kuala Lumpur).
“After that we got married and I moved to Australia,” Nicole told Malay Mail when met outside the players lounge at the Kota Permai Golf and Country Club.
“Actually this Sunday is our two-year anniversary and we have a 10-month-old girl Elsina.”
Nicole, who grew up in Subang and now lives in Brisbane, said she decided to caddy for Adam because golf can be a lonely sport.
Tour professionals travel almost every week of the year to different continents to play.
Not all golfers can make it into the top tours so they grind it out in the smaller tours to earn enough world ranking points to play the bigger tournaments.
A regular caddie can be a shoulder to cry on, confidant even a wife as in cases like Nicole.
Sometimes, the partnership works so well they end up winning like what Nicole did with Adam at the 2016 New South Wales Open.
“I caddied the first two days then his dad carried it over the weekend. It was well worth the effort in the end,” Nicole recalled.
“So now I've been caddying for Adam for around six years. It's a great way to spend time together. I mean he has no choice right? he's stuck with me...hahaha.”
“Ultimately he decides everything on the course. I'm just there to chit chat and help keep his mind off it. We have a lot of fun on the course and we always enjoy each other’s company so I guess that's why we got married and have a baby now.”
Nicole, 25, still considers Malaysia home and tries to find any excuse to come back.
Like all Malaysians, Nicole loves spicy food and since they got married, Adam's tolerance for it has grown.
She has also been teaching him some Malay so he can get around and understand the locals better.
“He is getting better. I'm teaching him a bit of Malay and he can say one to 10. He has no choice but to eat rice all the time because we're at home.
“He can eat spicy food now. When I first met him he thought a KFC Zinger burger was spicy. Now he can eat those super spicy Korean ramen noodles with no problem. I'm so proud of him.”
With the coronavirus outbreak, several tournaments have been cancelled including next week’s Thailand Open where Adam was scheduled to play.
Like others, Nicole and Adam are now in a quandary as to what's the next step to take and will thus spend some time with her family here before flying back to Brisbane.
“We'll play it by ear and see how it goes. Thailand's cancelled and maybe India too because of coronavirus. We're going to stay another week here, then head back home and then decide what to do next.”