Competing on the job helps MacRae fight cancer

Heather MacRae earned a place in the UK and Ireland team for the inaugural PGA Cup for ladies last week

Heather MacRae says that her focus on playing golf distracts her thoughts from her fight with cervical cancer.

The Scot, 35, joins Newmachar with male professionals during the Northern Open of the Tartan Tour – a week before following a second operation.

MacRae won the Women & # 39; s PGA Professional Championship in England last week.

"The last couple of weeks have been so busy and that's how I wanted it to be," she said. "I don't want to think about June 14 or what happens next."

MacRae makes sure that she "doesn't give herself much time to think about it."

"I think I have four, five, six, seven weeks to sit and do that," she told BBC Scotland.

"I have this tournament and then I have one next week and it just gives me something else to think about – practice and just keep looking forward instead of looking forward to two weeks.

"I am here for two days, I am in the hospital most of the day on Friday, Saturday we have a family trip to Ben A & # 39; an for a bit of a walk, Sunday I give the biggest part of the day lesson and then I'm back to Aberdeen for a new tournament on Monday / Tuesday and in the hospital on Wednesday, family day Thursday and then the operation on Friday. "

Playing against a field with top professionals such as Alastair Forsyth and Greig Hutcheon, MacRae found it hard at the Northern Open and ended 17 batters behind leader Chris Kelly the first day.

MacRae admitted to" exhaustion " , with last week's win despite missing about six weeks after her first surgery recovered and only being able to play because her next wave ry was delayed.

"Golf is what I do, I won last week and everyone has been very nice and congratulated me, "she said.

" The boys know what I went through.

"I feel especially good – just enjoying what I do and doing lots of fun things with people I want to do it with."

& # 39; I wasn't worried , I thought it would be okay & # 39;

MacRae admitted "it was all a bit of a shock" when she got news about her diagnosis.

"It was the end of January, I had the smear and then five or six weeks later I got the results that said there were some abnormalities," she recalled.

"I had it before But when I went and did the biopsy, it was fine, which usually happened, so I wasn't too worried about it.

" I told it not to my mother or sister or anyone else, I just went to the hospital to do it and thought I would tell them later. But then of course it wasn't good. "

MacRae is not sure

"My normal day is going to the gym and lifting heavy things and playing golf, so when they say four to six weeks, I usually feel physically physically, but you have to give yourself time to recover from within, "she said.

Victory in Trentham at Stoke ub secured her place in the team of Great Britain and Ireland for the inaugural PGA Women's Women's Cup in Texas in October.

"It is important to me to have goals which you can focus on, so I have a tournament for which I qualified – a quad ball at the end of August – I have one that I should play at the end of July, but I don't think I will play that, "she added.