The wife of Perthshire caddie Kevin McAlpine has told how she “completely broke down” a year on from his death.
Kevin, the son of Dundee United legend Hamish, died suddenly in America last October aged 39.
He was married to Swedish golf pro Anna Nordqvist, who withdrew from a tournament in Korea after learning of his death.
Posting on Instagram, Nordqvist revealed she had returned to Korea for the tournament at the weekend despite the memories that came with it.
‘I don’t think any amount of therapy could have prepared me for this week’
She said: “As much as I tried to pretend this was just another week on tour, this was one of the hardest ones yet.
“I don’t think any amount of therapy could have prepared me for this week – there have been countless hours of it, I just didn’t know how it was going to hit me.
“Having to relive the awful memories/trauma from a year ago here in Korea was just too much to handle emotionally.
“I completely broke down on October 19. But somehow I managed to get through this week too.
“I could have avoided the reminders by choosing not to come here, but I continue to try my best to deal with everything while I’m still trying to do my job.
“While the shock, pain and numbness of it never fully goes away, you have to find ways to live with it.
“Some days are just hard but one day at a time became my motto and how I now live.”
Kevin was born in Blairgowrie and grew up in Alyth.
He met Nordqvist in 2017 and they got married four years later, but split up in the summer of 2023.
Nordqvist ‘grateful’ to those who have helped her
Nordqvist, 37 – who won the Women’s Open at Carnoustie in 2021 – says she is “thankful” she did not have to go through the anniversary of Kevin’s death alone.
She added: “To everyone having to deal with PTSD in one way or another – my heart breaks for you.
“I’m a normal person, who might have to deal with things in the public eye because of what I do, but at the end of the day, I just want to smile and be happy.
“I’ve learned a lot about myself, I’ve learned to love myself for who I am and that I am good enough.
“Most of all I have learnt that it’s OK not to be OK and that having the courage to seek help and go through therapy is worth every second of it.”
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