When Stephanie Kyriacou steps on to the first tee in the US Women’s Open at Erin Hills this week, make sure to give her an extra once over while looking for anything unusual.

Part of the reason for her superb golf, which has been excellent this year on the LGPA Tour, has been a change in thinking and also the growth that comes with being more established.

No longer is Kyriacou a player who felt intimidated by the ruthless nature of professional golf, particularly in the US. And nor is she trying to be perfect in every aspect of her golf.

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Kyriacou sinks albatross on final hole! | 00:50

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE - JULY 14: Stephanie Kyriacou of Australia looks on during the final round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 14, 2024 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)EVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE – JULY 14: Stephanie Kyriacou of Australia looks on during the final round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 14, 2024 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

The third-ranked Aussie, who sits comfortably inside the world’s top 40 golfers, told foxsports.com.au that she has learnt a lot since turning professional during the pandemic.

But that does not mean Kyriacou and her crew are not having fun, with the 24-year-old saying that sharing side-bets and smack talk with her caddie and team helps her stay relaxed on the course.

Which is why it is worth taking a close look at her this week. If you note anything unusual, be it a streak of colour through her hair or a nick in her eye brow, for example, it probably means the emerging star was hustled by one of her mates recently.

During Kyriacou’s audacious bid for victory in The Evian Championship last year, the Sydneysider did so while dealing with a payback that came with losing one of those side wagers.

Kyriacou, who finished runner-up in the Evian classic in her best finish to date in a major, played the tournament knowing she had a massive nick out of her eyebrow.

“I think the worst one I’ve had to do is put a slit in my eyebrow,” she told foxsports.com.au

“It was so stupid, but (the wager) was with my osteo Jack. He made two half-court shots in a row (in basketball) and he gave me a few goes at it and I just sucked and I missed.

“So I had to do it. I (put the slit in on) the Monday or Tuesday of the Evian (and) there’s a couple of photos (where I look) horrendous.”

The eyebrow styling did not effect her performance, for Kyriacou played with a panache that has many predicting she is capable of rising far further in the women’s game.

Importantly, she also got her own back on a recent trip to New York in the lead-in to her second US Women’s Open, where she will be hoping for improvement after posting a rare missed cut result in 2024.

“My osteo lost a bet to me and he had to get a bowl cut, so I did it and it wasn’t very pretty,” she said.

“My caddie had to clean it up but that was probably the highlight, just watching him in pain. But everyone was laughing. It’s not just me. The next day was tough for him when he was going through security and had to take his hat off.”

The close relationships Kyriacou, who was introduced to golf by her dad as a three-year-old, shares with her team are important given she spends most of the year on the road playing.

She spoke to Fox Sports Australia from a house Golf Australia has in Orlando to assist those who spend significant time away from their family and friends at home.

Kyriacou is caddied by Wei Liang, a childhood mate and peer who played alongside her in junior ranks as she emerged to become one of Australia’s best prospects. If they look like they are having a lot of fun on the course, it is because they are, she said.

“Wei and I have been working together for three years now. I don’t think it’s like a regular caddie-player relationship, because we are good mates and we have been for over 10 years now,” she said.

“We’ve played a whole bunch of golf together for years and years, so I think that made it easy for him to come out, because he already knows my game.

“And Wei is someone who can tell me to pull my head out of my bum in the times when I need it, whereas someone else who I haven’t had that history with might not be able to, so I think that’s a big advantage that we have.”

JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY – MAY 10: Stephanie Kyriacou plays a shot on the 6th hole during the third round of the Mizuho Americas Open 2025 at Liberty National Golf Club on May 10, 2025 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Mike Stobe/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Mike Stobe / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP

Kyriacou won the Australian Ladies Classic by a whopping eight strokes while still an amateur when shooting 22-under at the Bonville Golf Resort in 2020 prior to the pandemic.

While she had to forego almost $70,000 in prize money, the success earned her a two-year exemption on the European tour and, after turning professional, she made an imprint when making the cut in the British Open before finishing second in the Swiss Open.

A year later she claimed her first professional win in the Big Green Egg Open — yep, it is an event in France — and finished the season third in the tour’s Order of Merit. But the US was calling.

After earning her LPGA card through qualifying school, Kyriacou has made steady inroads up the rankings, with her consistency in majors and on the regular tour outstanding.

In the 16 majors she has played to date Kyriacou, who is desperately hoping the Blues win the opening State of Origin match on Wednesday night to give her sledging rights over Australian legend Karrie Webb, she has three top 10 finishes.

In her nine starts this season leading into the US Women’s Open, she has recorded three top 10 finishes and reached the weekend in all bar one event to earn more than $630,000.

“I think I’ve kind of changed my perspective on golf,” she said.

“I think for a couple years, especially when I first came out, I got a bit sucked into the technical side and trying to make things perfect when that’s just not reliable because in golf, you’re going to fail more times than you will succeed.

“So I think this year, or even the last year, I’ve tried to play games within the game. Just like even having little bets with my caddie or, you know, some sort of a birdie match with some of the other girls.

“I’ve just tried to get a bit more external and just play golf rather than trying to make it look pretty. And it’s been working. So that’s the approach I’m going to take for a while.”

But, she said, getting used to the cut-and-thrust nature in the US took some time.

“I feel like every year, every tournament, I feel like there’s something I learn or there’s something that I want to improve on,” she said.

“I’ve learned how I want to play golf out here. It’s very cutthroat and ruthless. So … you have to be selfish. You have to have a pair out here, because there’s no point coming out and just putting in 50 percent, because that’s not really going to get you anywhere. That’s really the biggest thing that I’ve learned, to just honestly be brave when you play.

“I remember my first year, I was so intimidated, because you’re playing against the people that (you used to) watch on TV. It was very scary (and) very intimidating. But once you kind of get over that and you’re brave with how you play, I think that gives you the best chance.”

And that is on the golf course. Living in the US has its own challenges, among them “lowering your standards when it comes to coffee”.

“The first couple years were a bit of a struggle. You’re getting kind of thrown in the deep in America,” she said.

“It’s similar to us in a couple ways, but it’s (also) so different being in a country you’ve never been in before and you … have to move here and stay here months at a time. So it’s pretty scary. It’s pretty intimidating.

“But I think once you work out the tips and tricks of traveling and you have your own little crew — like, I’m good mates with a lot of the Aussies out here — so once you kind of establish that, it does get a little bit easier. I mean, of course I miss my family and friends back at home, but again, it’s part of the job.”

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE – JULY 14: Stephanie Kyriacou of Australia plays her second shot on the 18th hole during the final round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 14, 2024 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

Webb, who is in regular contact with a lot of the Aussie golfers, was a help as well.

“I remember the first time I met Karrie — Stacey Peters put me in a practice round with her and forced me to ask her all these questions — but I had nothing for,” she said.

“I was just like, ‘Oh my God. I’m playing with like a legend.’ But (in) my first years coming out on tour, she’s been so approachable with all the advice.

“I’ve had dinners with her. She’s introduced me to other LPGA legends. She gives me stick about State of Origin. She loves rubbing it in your face, which is quite annoying. But, yeah, she’s very approachable (and) she’s not afraid to help all the Aussie girls.”

The Aussie connection runs strong. Hannah Green was recently on the New York trip with Kyriacou, who says the friendships are helping the green and gold golfers flourish.

“I think out here, it’s kind of like each country sticks with one another, but I would say the Aussies probably have the closest family,” she said.

“We stay with each other most weeks (and) go for dinners and stuff. It’s like having another family out here, which is very nice because, again, you are so far away from home, so to have something from home is wholesome, I guess.”

The maiden major triumph and ultimate success on the LGPA has proven elusive to date, though Kyriacou has kept putting herself in positions to contend in the latter stages.

And she produced a moment that went viral recently when scoring an albatross on the last hole at the Black Desert Championship that gave her a sense of what striding up the 72nd hole as the likely winner would be like.

“I think I was a bit in shock,” she said.

“I was just worried about not looking awkward, because I’m a very awkward person, but … they cut to me the whole way up the fairway. So I was just like, ‘This is unreal. More of that.’

“A lot of people sent it to me, but I didn’t realise it was as viral as it went, because I reshared it on my Instagram. But then apparently it was shared a lot more than that. But it was pretty cool. I’ll probably remember that for a very long time.”

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