Former world number one tennis player Ashleigh Barty has seemingly made strides in other sports already after it was revealed she won a golf tournament in her home country of Australia. Barty shockingly announced her retirement from tennis last month, despite being the top-ranked player in the world at the time and having yet to lose a match in 2022. But the three-time major winner admitted she no longer had the “physical drive, the emotional want and everything it takes” to challenge at the top level anymore, and therefore called time on an outstanding career. 

Barty wins Australian golf tournament 

It appears the 25-year-old has already moved on from tennis and on Saturday the former Wimbledon winner finished first in the Brookwater Golf and Country Club ladies event. 

Barty shot a round of 34 and her victory saw her scoop a winners cheque, though the sum wasn’t quite as much as she was used to in the tennis world. 

Indeed, the Australian, who amassed career earnings of around £18,000,000 during her tennis playing days, received just $30 AUD (£17) for winning this particular golf tournament.

It’s not the first time Barty has won the event either, having also claimed the title back in 2020.  

Could Barty turn professional? 

After Barty’s retirement, Simona Halep joked that the Australian could go on to become a “Grand Slam champion” in golf.

Equally, World Golf Hall of Famer, Karrie Webb, who will captain Australia’s golf teams at the 2024 Paris Olympics, stressed she could see the former tennis star turning to golf.

ULURU, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 25: In this Handout Photo provided by Tennis Australia, Ashleigh Barty poses with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup as she visits Uluru in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Australia on Friday, February 25, 2022. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Tennis Australia via Getty Images)

While the reality of Barty playing on the Ladies PGA Tour does still seem some way off yet, she is a scratch golfer, with a zero handicap. 

What’s more, the Aussie has already proven she is talented at a number of sports, having previously played professional cricket. 

After retiring from tennis for the first time in 2014, Barty turned her attention to cricket and played for the Brisbane Heat in the inaugural Women’s Big Bash League. 

Barty’s retirement paves the way for Swiatek 

The Australian’s departure from the WTA tour has paved the way for Poland’s Iga Swiatek, who has replaced Barty at the top of the rankings. 

Swiatek has been in stunning form of late, having won 17 matches in a row and three successive titles in Doha, California and Miami. 

Yet, despite becoming the new world number one, Swiatek admitted she cried when she first found out the news about Barty. 

“I was crying for 40 minutes,” she told BBC Sport. “Mainly, it was because of Ash’s retirement. I didn’t know it was going to happen and it really surprised me.

“I always had this vision that we would all play until we are 35 or something [or] until our bodies are so tired that we can’t anymore.

“I needed time to actually understand what she must have thought. Her decision was really brave and I felt a lot of emotions because of that.”