Phillis Meti (Arorangi, Rarotonga) is a golf professional and a 3-time World Long Drive champion. In 2006 she became the first New Zealander, and youngest ever, to win the World Long Drive championship. She’s since been smashing records at competition level for more than 10 years.
With a career full of accolades, Phillis is passionate about bringing more young Māori and Pasifika women into the sport.
In this episode we talk about her early days following her dad around the green. She talks about the choice she had to make between professional netball, and professional golf and we discuss the difficulties of being a Polynesian woman in a male-dominated sport. Phillis also tells us all about her dream to open an academy of sorts to help kids from Aotearoa pursue their college sporting dreams in the USA.
Golf is supposed to be a meritorious sport. You win based on how well you play. However, when you enter the professional game, one of the first things they say is you’re no longer in the sporting industry – you’re in entertainment.
Don’t want to miss the next NUKU100 podcast and image series? Sign up to our newsletter and we will deliver the link direct to your inbox. You can also subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, just search for ‘NUKU’.
