Thanks to Saudi Arabia’s bottomless well of petrodollars, LIV Golf has boosted the earnings of the top ten golfers by an estimated $370 million since June, bringing their combined haul to a record $650 million over the last 12 months.



<abbr>T</abbr>he breakaway&nbsp;LIV Golf tour, which is owned by Saudi Arabia’s $620 billion (assets) sovereign wealth fund, is many things. It’s faster than the PGA Tour, with a 54-hole (“LIV” in Roman numerals) format played over three days. It’s louder, with music blaring before tee-off. It’s less frequent, with one-sixth as many events. But mostly it’s richer. LIV Golf is about money. Piles and piles of it.



The government of Saudi Arabia is pumping an estimated $2.4 billion into LIV over the next couple of seasons to get the league off the ground, a big chunk of which is to lure top talent. In total, LIV has boosted the earnings of the ten highest-paid golfers by an estimated $370 million since May, bringing their combined haul to a record $650 million.



“I wanted to be a part of something from the ground up,” says Bryson DeChambeau, who won the U.S. Open in 2020 as a 27-year-old and joined LIV in June. “The resources, the time, the rest and then the enjoyment factor were why I was able to make that jump and wanted to make that jump.”



The downside? No more PGA Tour, no more Players Championships and no more international competition in the Ryder Cup. Like all other PGA Tour defectors, DeChambeau had his membership suspended. But the Saudi-backed golfers should still be able to compete in the Masters and golf’s three other majors, none of which are run by the PGA Tour.



Sure. But it probably helps that he’s likely getting north of $125 million as a guarantee from LIV, half of which Forbes estimates he received upfront. That $62 million payment has propelled DeChambeau to No. 3 among the world’s highest-paid golfers, with total pretax earnings of $86 million over the past 12 months—and ranks him as the 11th-highest-paid athlete on the planet, ahead of Tom Brady.



Two-time major winner Dustin Johnson, who finished tied for sixth at the British Open at St. Andrews this month, did even better than DeChambeau. The 38-year-old pro from South Carolina, who is married to Wayne Gretzky’s daughter Paulina, pocketed $97 million in the last year, including an estimated $62 million signing bonus from LIV in May. The Saudi money makes Johnson the fifth-highest-paid athlete in the world. It was an easy choice, he says: “Play less golf, play for more money—it just made sense.”



The biggest winner of all? Phil Mickelson. With six majors and 45 PGA Tour wins under his belt, the second-most-accomplished golfer of his generation was one of the first to voice support for the new tour. Back in February, he was vilified (and took a subsequent break from playing) after seeming to dismiss Saudi Arabia’s human-rights record in exchange for a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.” Several sponsors dropped him. But what does he care? LIV more than made up for it, guaranteeing Mickelson an estimated $200 million, half of which he likely got upfront. In all, the 52-year-old pulled in $138 million in the past year, making him the world’s highest-paid athlete in 2022, edging out soccer superstar Lionel Messi (<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brettknight/2022/05/11/the-worlds-10-highest-paid-athletes-2022/">$130 million</a>).



There are risks. LIV Golf has no major U.S. broadcast partner and barely any event sponsors. The LIV-curious are forced to watch on YouTube. And the tour is incinerating cash. There are limited revenues, and in addition to the enormous signing bonuses and multimillion-dollar-per-event production budgets, LIV has guaranteed $255 million in prize money for 2022. In 2023, that will expand to $405 million for 14 events. “Just like any startup, you’ve got a burn rate, and whether it was, heck, Amazon or Uber or whatever, they’re all burning certain cash up until they reach the point of profitability,” says LIV Golf president and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers executive Atul Khosla.



The PGA Tour isn’t sitting still. In June, it raised the prize purses of eight tournaments by a collective $53.8 million, with the Players Championship rising to $25 million. On the flip side, the PGA Tour’s hard line against giving its members permission to participate in LIV events has triggered a Department of Justice antitrust investigation.



One golfer who refuses to play LIV’s game: Tiger Woods. LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman, known as the Great White Shark during his Hall of Fame playing career, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/06/05/last-attack-greg-norman/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told the Washington Post</a> that Woods rejected a “mind-blowingly enormous” offer in the “high nine digits” from LIV. That decision knocked Woods, who was once the world’s highest-paid athlete ten years running, into unfamiliar territory—he’s now just fifth among the highest-paid golfers, with total earnings of $68 million. He has no regrets. “I just don’t understand it,” he said ahead of the British Open. “I just don’t see how that move is positive in the long term for a lot of these players.”



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">#1.&nbsp;$138 mil</h4>



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">PHIL MICKELSON</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">AGE: 52 | ON-COURSE: $102 mil • OFF-COURSE: $36 mil</h4>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="594" height="396" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1411839172.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-55789" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1411839172.jpg 594w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1411839172-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/LIV Golf via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



Lefty crossed <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattcraig/2022/06/12/billion-dollar-ballers-these-athletes-tiger-woods-lebron-james-federer-messi-ronaldo-mayweather-have-earned-more-than-1-billion-apiece/">$1 billion in career earnings</a> thanks to his LIV deal. One of only a handful of players (including Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Vijay Singh and Tom Watson) to earn a lifetime membership on the PGA Tour, Mickelson had that privilege suspended after he joined LIV.



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">#2.&nbsp;$97 mil</h4>



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">DUSTIN JOHNSON</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">AGE: 38 | ON-COURSE: $68 mil • OFF-COURSE: $29 mil</h4>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1411889458.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-55790" width="469" height="302" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1411889458.jpg 594w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1411889458-300x193.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 469px) 100vw, 469px" /><figcaption>(Photo by Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



Now ranked No. 17 in the world, Johnson was the first star to jump to LIV in May, for an estimated $125 million. He cashed out his stake in Bodyarmor for an undisclosed sum in November. Sponsors Adidas and TaylorMade have stuck with him after he resigned from the PGA Tour.



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">#3.&nbsp;$86 mil</h4>



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">BRYSON DECHAMBEAU</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">AGE:28 | ON-COURSE: $66 mil • OFF-COURSE: $20 mil</h4>



DeChambeau earned $560,000 from his first LIV event in July, nearly triple what he had earned in his seven prior tournaments in 2022.



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">#4.&nbsp;$69 mil</h4>



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">BROOKS KOEPKA</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">AGE: 32 | ON-COURSE: $53 mil • OFF-COURSE: $16 mil</h4>



Koepka, who has won four majors and nurtures a fierce rivalry with DeChambeau, secured an estimated $100 million guarantee from LIV.



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">#5.&nbsp;$68 mil</h4>



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">TIGER WOODS</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">AGE: 46 | ON-COURSE: $43,500 • OFF-COURSE: $68 mil</h4>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/gettyimages-1142682752-594x594.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40860" width="524" height="349" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/gettyimages-1142682752-594x594.jpg 594w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/gettyimages-1142682752-594x594-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 524px) 100vw, 524px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattcraig/2022/06/10/tiger-woods-officially-a-billionaire-no-thanks-to-the-saudis/">Golf’s only billionaire</a>, Woods has no need for Saudi money.



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">#6.&nbsp;$43 mil</h4>



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">RORY MCILROY</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">AGE: 33 | ON-COURSE: $9 mil • OFF-COURSE: $34 mil</h4>



McIlroy has been vocal in his support of the PGA Tour, <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/rory-mcilroy-talks-maintaining-his-love-for-golf-st-andrews-tiger-woods-and-his-softened-liv-golf-stance/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">telling CBS</a> “there’s no room in the golf world for LIV Golf.” It may be paying off. Workday agreed to sponsor the Northern Irishman in February, the same month the software company announced it would not renew its deal with Mickelson.



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">#7.&nbsp;$42 mil</h4>



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">SERGIO GARCIA</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">AGE: 42 | ON-COURSE: $35 mil • OFF-COURSE: $7 mil</h4>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1411845124.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-55791" width="652" height="354" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1411845124.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1411845124-300x163.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 652px) 100vw, 652px" /><figcaption>(Photo by Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



The Spaniard, the 2017 Masters champion, was part of the first wave to join the upstart Saudi tour.



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">#8.&nbsp;$39 mil</h4>



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">JORDAN SPIETH</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">AGE: 29 | ON-COURSE: $8 mil • OFF-COURSE: $31 mil</h4>



The former world No. 1 reasserted his loyalty to the PGA Tour in July, saying, “Any reports that I am contemplating competing anywhere other than the PGA Tour are categorically untrue.” After signing a new deal, he will remain the face of Under Armour’s golf business through 2029.



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">#9.&nbsp;$37 mil</h4>



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">PATRICK REED</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">AGE: 31 | ON-COURSE: $34 mil • OFF-COURSE: $3 mil</h4>



Reed starred for years in the Ryder Cup, earning him the nickname “Captain America.” Now ineligible for the biennial Europe vs. United States contest, he’s flying a new flag: The 31-year-old wore the LIV Golf logo on his hat, collar and sleeve at the British Open.



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">#10.&nbsp;$34 mil</h4>



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">CHARL SCHWARTZEL</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">AGE: 37 | ON-COURSE: $30 mil • OFF-COURSE: $4 mil</h4>



In 2011, Schwartzel won $1.4 million in prize money at the Masters, his first and only major championship win. The South African’s victory at LIV’s inaugural London event in June landed him more than triple that sum.



METHODOLOGY: This year’s list of the world’s highest-paid golfers tracks earnings between July 3, 2021, and July 3, 2022, to coincide with the completion of the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic and LIV Golf’s Portland Invitational. The on-course earnings figures include prize money and bonuses, as well as upfront payments for signing on with LIV Golf. Based on conversations with a dozen industry sources, Forbes estimates top-tier LIV players received half of their guarantees upfront while lower-tier players received smaller sums in bulk. The off-course earnings figures are an estimate of sponsorship deals, appearance fees and memorabilia and licensing income for the 12 months leading to July 3, 2022, plus cash returns from any businesses in which the athlete has a significant interest. Bonuses from the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Program are included in off-course income. Forbes does not include investment income such as interest payments or dividends but does account for payouts from equity stakes athletes have sold. Forbes does not deduct for taxes or agents’ fees.



By Justin Birnbaum, Forbes Staff Additional reporting by Brett Knight.

Male golfer putting on golf course

The World’s Highest-Paid Golfers 2022: LIV Golf Reshuffles Top Earners And Sends Pay Soaring

FORBES AFRICA lists the top 10 contemporary South African golfers by their career earnings to date on the two major tours.



WHEN THE 103rd PGA CHAMPIONSHIP WAS played in May, South Africa boasted a record 11 entrants in the field, a sign of the competitiveness of the country’s golfers on the international stage and a nod to local courses that continue to develop outstanding players. South Africa currently has 10 golfers ranked in the top 100 in the world, behind only runaway leaders the United States, who have 46, and England’s 11.



But given the investment dollars spent on the game in the respective countries, it makes South Africa pound-for-pound arguably the second most successful golfing nation at present, a huge achievement that amplifies the success of the local Sunshine Tour.



FORBES AFRICA lists (in no particular order) the South Africans currently in the global top 10 by their career earnings to date on the two major tours*



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-louis-oosthuizen">LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333072873-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52288" width="599" height="399" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333072873-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333072873-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333072873-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333072873-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333072873-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



PGA Tour Earnings: $26,274,723 European Tour Earnings: $26,158,152



Oosthuizen has just recently surpassed his European Tour winnings on the United States-based PGA Tour, boosted by two second- placed finishes in consecutive Majors at the PGA Championship and the US Open.



Despite his eye-watering earnings, the Mossel Bay-born player has never actually won on the PGA Tour, losing three times in a play-off. But he did enjoy success by winning The British Open in 2010, which remains his sole triumph to date in one of the ‘big ones’ after those recent close shaves. In fact, he now has six runner-up finishes in Majors.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BRANDEN GRACE</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334335413-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52290" width="526" height="351" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334335413-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334335413-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334335413-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334335413-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334335413-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 526px) 100vw, 526px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



PGA Tour Earnings: $11,071,441 European Tour Earnings: $16,714,032



Grace has been a stalwart of both tours for some years and picked up his second victory on the PGA in April when he won the Puerto Rico Open to go with his 2016 success at the RBC Heritage.



He has nine further wins on the European Tour, including the South African Open in 2020. He finished tied for seventh at the US Open this year, but his best Major finish was at the 2015 PGA Championship when he finished third.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CHARL SCHWARTZEL</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333917542-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52289" width="543" height="362" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333917542-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333917542-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333917542-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333917542-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333917542-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 543px) 100vw, 543px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



PGA Tour Earnings: $1,605,985 European Tour Earnings: $20,674,161



A heavy earner on the European Tour during his career, his one Major triumph actually came in the United States when he lifted the Masters trophy in 2011.



He has only one more win there in the last decade, but an impressive 10 on the European Tour, eight of which have come in South Africa and the other two in Spain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DYLAN FRITTELLI</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335094389-1024x682.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52295" width="654" height="435" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335094389-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335094389-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335094389-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335094389-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335094389-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 654px) 100vw, 654px" /><figcaption>(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



PGA Tour Earnings: $4,499,473 European Tour Earnings: $3,392,853



Fritelli’s one and only PGA Tour win came at the John Deere Classic in 2019, to go with two successes on he European Tour in the Lyoness Open in Austria and the Mauritius Open.



His best finish at a Major was tied fifth at the Masters in 2020.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><meta charset="utf-8">ERIK VAN ROOYEN</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335986246-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52297" width="550" height="367" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335986246-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335986246-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335986246-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335986246-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335986246-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



PGA Tour Earnings: $1,596,939 European Tour Earnings: $5,325,617 



Van Rooyen has shown great consistency despite a single professional win outside of South Africa in his career – at the Scandinavian Invitation in 2019. He is often found high up the leaderboard though, with his best Major finish an eighth place at the 2019 PGA Championship.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BRANDON STONE</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335010802-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52296" width="556" height="371" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335010802-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335010802-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335010802-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335010802-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335010802-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 556px) 100vw, 556px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Oisin Keniry/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



PGA Tour Earnings: $295,257 European Tour Earnings: $4,980,169



Stone has three wins on the European Tour, though none since 2018. He claimed his first victory at the SA Open in 2016 and the closest he has come recently was a play-off loss in the Oman Open last year.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CHRISTIAAN BEZUIDENHOUT</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335489628-1024x669.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52293" width="592" height="386" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335489628-1024x669.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335489628-300x196.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335489628-768x502.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335489628-1536x1003.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335489628-2048x1337.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 592px) 100vw, 592px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



PGA Tour Earnings: $974,608 European Tour Earnings: $4,107,928



An emerging star of South African golf, Bezuidenhout won three European Tour events between June 2019 and December 2020, but has yet to make his mark in the Majors. It feels like it is just a matter of time though. He was banned for two years in 2014 after testing positive for using ‘beta blockers’, which he claimed was to control his anxiety and a stutter. The sanction was later reduced to nine months.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DEAN BURMESTER</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335437065-1024x566.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52294" width="539" height="298" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335437065-1024x566.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335437065-300x166.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335437065-768x424.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335437065-1536x849.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335437065-2048x1131.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 539px) 100vw, 539px" /><figcaption>PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC &#8211; AUGUST 21: Dean Burmester of South Africa on the 14th hole during Day Three of The D+D Real Czech Masters at Albatross Golf Resort on August 21, 2021 in Prague, Czech Republic. (Photo by Oisin Keniry/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



PGA Tour Earnings: $46,826 European Tour Earnings: $3,931,356



Born in Zimbabwe but playing under the South African flag, Burmester claimed the European Tour’s Tenerife Open in May and has been a stalwart of the local Sunshine Tour.



He has yet to crack it in the United States, and has not yet played at either the British Open or the Masters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">GARRICK HIGGO</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335953221-1024x682.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52292" width="541" height="360" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335953221-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335953221-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335953221-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335953221-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335953221-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 541px) 100vw, 541px" /><figcaption>(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



PGA Tour Earnings: $1,358,316 European Tour Earnings: $1,076,625



The ‘next big thing’ in South African golf, and possibly the global game, Higgo has had his breakthrough year in2021andattheageofonly22is as exciting a prospect as you will see on tour.



All four of his professional wins outside of South Africa have come since September 2020, and in June, he won the Palmetto Championship in just his second start in the United States.



Higgo has been mentored by nine- time Major winner Gary Player and turned professional in 2019.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DANIEL VAN TONDER</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334990119-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52291" width="487" height="325" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334990119-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334990119-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334990119-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334990119-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334990119-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 487px) 100vw, 487px" /><figcaption>(Photo by Oisin Keniry/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



PGA Tour Earnings: $31,300 European Tour Earnings: $562,094



A player who has enjoyed great success on the Sunshine Tour, especially recently with four wins in 2020 alone.



His single success on the European Tour came at the Kenya Savannah Classic in March this year.



By Nick Said



*Earnings as of July 5, 2021

Close-up of golf bag with people in background

South Africa’s Highest-Earning Current Golfers

South Africa’s 84-year-old golf legend Gary Player speaks to FORBES AFRICA about the greatest honor of his life and on training like a 40-year-old at his daughter’s home during the lockdown in the US.



South Africa’s nine-time Grand Slam golfer, Gary Player, is currently in lockdown with his wife Vivienne in Pennsylvania, in the United States (US), where the couple are visiting their daughter Amanda-Leigh Hall and her family.



Player had also arrived in the US to receive what he calls one of the greatest honors of his life, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from President Donald Trump at the White House on March 23; some of the past recipients of the prestigious award include Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Mother Teresa, Toni Morrison, Tiger Woods and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.



But the lockdown changed all plans.



So the golfer, best known for an illustrious playing career that included 165 professional victories, is now in his daughter’s home, “training like a 40-year-old”.



Elated, Player classifies the Presidential Medal of Freedom recognition as coming second to the honor of being a husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.



When asked how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected him, the world-renowned 84-year-old golfer, nicknamed the ‘Black Night’, says in a phone interview from the US with FORBES AFRICA: “We are living in extraordinary times. This is not life as we have come to know it. My heart goes out to people during this trying time.”



Player fears the aftermath of the Covid-19 virus could be devastating to all, as some are already beginning to suffer due to the inability to earn an income.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“The post Covid-19 world may cause humans to sink into an inevitable hole of depression, and I fear that people will be dying not of the virus, but of hunger and thirst,” he says.</blockquote>







Player says he prays numerous times a day to thank God for his blessings. This year, he celebrates being married to Vivienne for 63 years.



“I love her even more now than I did back then, I wouldn&#8217;t trade the last 63 years for nothing on this earth,” Player says.



Vivienne has traveled the entire “amazing” route with Player while raising the couple’s six children: Jennifer, Marc, Wayne, Michelle, Theresa, and Amanda.



“I can safely, and with confidence, say that my wife is my best friend,” adds Player.



Although in his eighties, and true to his second nickname, ‘Mr Fitness’, Player may be in&nbsp; lockdown in his daughter’s home but he exercises diligently at the in-house gym.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="768" height="1024" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/IMG_0977.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-44494" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/IMG_0977.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/IMG_0977-300x400.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/IMG_0977-600x800.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/IMG_0977-225x300.jpg 225w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /><figcaption>Gary Player training at the gym in his daughter&#8217;s home; image supplied </figcaption></figure>



He also ventures into the forested area on his daughter’s property for long, peaceful walks in solitude. There is also a simulator at the house where Player can tee off as though on a golf course.



Including him and his wife, there are currently nine people in his daughter’s home, and although being in isolation, this experience has brought the family even closer, he says.



“All of us participate in joint activities that were never possible before due to everyone’s busy lifestyles. I love my large family,” attests the man blessed with 22 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He is yet to meet his month-old great-grandchild born to granddaughter Antonia and who is the newest addition to his large family.



When the lockdown ends, Player hopes to return to normal life “as soon as possible”. As a businessman with a “hectic, hectic” schedule, he is eager to get back to doing what he loves and says that being patient is not an easy feat.



Commenting on his own future, Player says he wishes to be remembered as a man who tried to contribute to society despite the mistakes he made.



“When I die and pass away, I want people to know that I tried my best in life. And that I am sorry for all the mistakes I made. Admittedly, we all make mistakes.



“I want to be remembered as a man who loved his fellow men,” says the legend who has also recently been key to integrating golf courses into local communities back home in South Africa.



“I am convinced there is a black girl or boy in South Africa today with tremendous athletic prowess, with the talent. If they can just be incentivized, then there is a chance,” Player told FORBES AFRICA for a story on his new initiatives in November 2018.



 – Brandon Nel, FORBES AFRICA contributor



Like what you are reading? There are more such profiles of newsmakers and enterprising thought leaders driving decision-making in FORBES AFRICA. Download a digital copy today!

IMG_0975

True Sport: Gary Player On Family, Isolation And The Covid-19 Aftermath

Seven-year-old Simthandile ‘Sim Tiger’ Tshabalala already has the golfing world at his feet.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



South African golf legend Gary Player believes the country
has the potential to produce the next Tiger Woods, a superstar with charisma and
global appeal that will win major titles and become a role model to millions
around the world.



Player told FORBES AFRICA late last year he was “convinced
there is a black girl or boy in South Africa today with tremendous athletic
prowess, and with the talent to be a champion”.



Player’s prophecy could come true sooner than, perhaps even, he expects, with the emergence of seven-year-old Simthandile ‘Sim Tiger’ Tshabalala, a youngster that has shown such outstanding talent on the golf course that the world has sat up to take notice.



READ MORE | <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Grass Is Greener In Soweto For Golf Legend Gary Player (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/sport/2018/12/23/grass-is-greener-in-soweto-for-golf-legend-gary-player/" target="_blank">Grass Is Greener In Soweto For Golf Legend Gary Player</a>



Tshabalala, who learned the game from YouTube videos and has
only been professionally coached for the last few years, has already played at
the Australian Open, where he came fourth, has played in Malaysia and Scotland,
and won the local US Kids Tour this year.



He will soon be jetting off to the United States, England
and Canada for more events in the coming month, fueling his passion to one day
emulate, and then surpass, his hero.



“It’s going very well, it’s very exciting for me,” Tshabalala tells FORBES AFRICA. “I really look up to Tiger Woods, he was number one in the world for so long.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="299" height="482" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Sim3.png" alt="" class="wp-image-41477" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Sim3.png 299w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Sim3-186x300.png 186w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 299px) 100vw, 299px" /><figcaption> Seven-year-old Simthandile ‘Sim Tiger’ Tshabalala. Picture Supplied</figcaption></figure></div>



“He won so many tournaments and, just like me, he started playing at such a young age. He carried that through to his adult life and became a legend.”



The way Tshabalala talks; he is seven going on 17, such is
the maturity with which he answers questions.



Clearly, an exceptionally talented, and level-headed child,
he has the golfing world at his feet.



His father, Bonginkosi Tshabalala, admits his son’s success
has taken him rather by surprise, but he is determined to make sure all avenues
are open for the youngster.



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“I grew up with an absent father, with no male guidance or exposure to many things, so it’s very important for me to be able to provide this platform for Sim. I want him to have a better life than me,” Tshabalala senior says.



The young Sim tried just about every sport going, but none
stuck until he picked up a golf club.



“From the age of two, we have tried all sports – tennis,
swimming, cricket, soccer and finally golf,” his father says.



“I must admit I did not even know what a golf course looked
like. 



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="301" height="536" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Sim2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-41478" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Sim2.png 301w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Sim2-300x534.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Sim2-168x300.png 168w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 301px) 100vw, 301px" /><figcaption> Seven-year-old Simthandile ‘Sim Tiger’ Tshabalala holds the South African flag up high. Picture: Supplied</figcaption></figure></div>



“I had no clue about the rules of the game, but I thought I
had to teach myself first, then I could pass that on to Sim.



“So I bought some clubs, and the two of us would sit and watch YouTube videos with coaching tips and the like, trying to learn the game.



“We had been going to the driving range together and he was really enjoying it, so I decided to get him formal coaching.”



But Tshabalala senior, who is also his son’s caddy, says it
is not enough and they put in hours and hours of practice together each week.



“If you give him a fork to eat with, he will use it to
practise his swing. The first thing he does in the morning when he gets out of
bed is practice his swing. He is amazingly committed to the game.”



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="301" height="516" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Sim5.png" alt="" class="wp-image-41480" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Sim5.png 301w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Sim5-300x514.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Sim5-175x300.png 175w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 301px) 100vw, 301px" /><figcaption> Seven-year-old Simthandile ‘Sim Tiger’ Tshabalala on the gold course. Picture: Supplied</figcaption></figure></div>



Such is his promise that ‘Sim Tiger’ has already secured a
sponsorship from top global golf equipment manufacturer, TaylorMade, but for
the rest, his increasingly expensive career is being funded by his father.



“We will be at the World Championships in North Carolina from August 1 to 3. Then we travel to England for the British Kids Championship on August 8 and 9, and from there, we play the 2019 Canadian Invitational on August 12 to 13. 



“It is obviously very expensive, and we are looking for
sponsorship, but at the same time, it is an amazing experience. 



“When we went to Malaysia, it was the first time, I had
never been outside of South Africa, so we have grown together as a family.”



READ MORE | <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="World’s Highest-Paid Athletes 2019: What Messi, LeBron And Tiger Make (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/lists/2019/06/13/worlds-highest-paid-athletes-2019-what-messi-lebron-and-tiger-make/" target="_blank">World’s Highest-Paid Athletes 2019: What Messi, LeBron And Tiger Make</a>



For Tshabalala senior, this journey is much more than golf
and travel, it is a chance for him to spend time with his son, perhaps healing
some of those old wounds that linger from his father not providing him with the
same support. 



“Whatever happens in the future, it has brought us closer, and hopefully, he has learned some life lessons along the way,” he says.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="379" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Sim4.png" alt="" class="wp-image-41479" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Sim4.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Sim4-237x300.png 237w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption> Seven-year-old Simthandile ‘Sim Tiger’ Tshabalala. Picture: Supplied</figcaption></figure></div>

sim1

Grass Gets Greener For Young South African Golfing Wonder

The 83rd Masters will go down as one of the most memorable events in modern golf history.



Many fans point to Jack Nicklaus’ unexpected run to a sixth green jacket in 1986 at 46 years old as the ultimate Augusta moment, but Tiger Woods, who has been chasing Nicklaus’ legacy his entire career, might have just topped the Golden Bear.



Woods, decked in his trademark red, won the Masters by one stroke Sunday, holding off a stacked leaderboard of seasoned, elite golfers. It was a moment that many sports fans thought would never happen after a series of back surgeries pushed Woods to the brink of retirement.



Americans love to see their brightest stars fall, and few have fallen from a higher point than Woods, who was the most marketable athlete on the planet for a decade-plus. But the one thing Americans seem to love even more is the redemption story. Sports fans had waited 11 years for Woods to take another step toward Nicklaus&#8217; hallowed record of 18 major titles.



Woods’ Tour Championship win last year was an indicator of what was to come, and he’s once again a marketing force. Woods and Phil Mickelson had a $9 million winner-take-all pay-per-view event in November, and Woods signed a multiyear content deal last fall with Discovery’s new over-the-top streaming service, GolfTV. He will do weekly golf instructional videos and is set to do a series of showdown-type events in Asia as part of the Discovery partnership.



Here are some of the numbers behind Woods and his history at Augusta.



4: Back surgeries for Woods.



5: Wins at Augusta for Woods, but the most recent was 14 years ago. It is the longest gap between Masters wins ever.



11: It has been just shy of 11 years since Woods won his last major tournament (2008 U.S. Open).



11: Number of times Woods has won the Player of the Year award.



12: Woods’ current rank in the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.owgr.com/ranking" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">World Golf Ranking</a>.



16: Woods’ rank last year among&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2018/06/05/mayweather-messi-lead-the-worlds-highest-paid-athletes-2018/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the world&#8217;s highest-paid athletes</a>. He earned $43.3 million.



20: Woods has made the cut in all 20 of his Masters appearances.



21: Woods was the youngest Masters champion ever when he won in 1997 at 21 years old by a record 12 strokes.



35: Number of players who had won a major title&nbsp;<a href="http://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/26522684/tiger-masters-victory-even-never-saw-coming" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">since Woods’ last Masters win</a>&nbsp;in 2005. That span covered 55 tournaments.



43: Woods is the second-oldest Masters champion, with only Nicklaus having been older when he put on the green jacket.



81: Career PGA Tour wins for Woods, one shy of Sam Snead’s record.



281: Consecutive weeks Woods was ranked No. 1 in the world between 2005 and 2010.



$1.19 million: Payout for a bettor who put down $85,000 at 14/1 odds at William Hill&#8217;s Las Vegas sportsbook on Woods to win. “It’s great to see Tiger back.&nbsp;It’s a painful day for William Hill—our biggest golf loss ever—but a great day for golf,” says Nick Bogdanovich, William Hill U.S.&#8217;s director of trading.



$2.07 million: Woods’ prize money for the 2019 Masters win.



$20 million: Value of his yacht Privacy.



$20 million: Estimated value of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.golfdigest.com/story/golden-retirements-pga-tour-pros-get-a-gift-that-keeps-giving" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Woods’ PGA Tour pension plan</a>.



$800 million:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2018/12/18/tiger-woods-net-worth-800-million-in-2018/#7875226c348e" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Estimated net worth</a>&nbsp;for Woods.



$1.5 billion: Cumulative career earnings for Woods, including prize money, endorsements, appearance fees and golf course design fees.



-Kurt Badenhausen;Forbes Staff

GettyImages-1142687460

Masters Champion Tiger Woods: By The Numbers

In an exclusive interview with FORBES AFRICA, golf legend Gary Player speaks about the greatest community golf course he has worked on, and it’s in Soweto.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



Golf legend Gary Player has thrown his weight behind a project in South Africa’s Soweto township that he believes should be viewed as a game-changer in how to integrate courses into local communities and is perhaps the first step in producing a black golfer capable of winning a Major title for the country. 



Player, 83, who was recently honored with the title of World Golf Course Designer of the Year, is best known for the nine Major titles he won in an illustrious playing career that included 165 professional victories.



He has been key in the rejuvenation of the Soweto Country Club, a sea of green among the sprawling township, and says it is so much more than a place to enjoy a round of golf.



“We originally designed this course in the 1970s, but this new course we have been working on for two years now,” Player tells FORBES AFRICA. 



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“It’s a miracle, it’s the greatest community golf course we have done and we’ve done hundreds around the world. </blockquote>



“I have never seen anything to compare to Soweto Country Club. There is a vibe here that is unmatched anywhere in the world.”



Player says a big part of the project has been to include locals in the development and running of the course, to help them feel part ownership of the project and provide a needed sanctuary for many in the community. 



“We had young guys here in Soweto with no jobs and we have brought them in and trained them to cut greens. We have incentivised people,” Player says.



“We have old ladies that are lonely and suffering from neglect, we bring them here to have a cup of tea and give them some love in their lives. 



“We want to get elderly gentlemen to come and make a seniors division and play a bit, even if it is only three holes. We want to include everyone.



“We want to create something for the community that benefits everybody. Even the houses along the road next to the golf course, they are painting them and rebuilding because they are going up in value.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“What we can do through golf is amazing. It is not just the elitist sport that people used to say it is.”</blockquote>



Player, whose views on the game are sought all over the world, feels that the threat to golf in the future does not come at the top of the sport in the professional game, but rather that it becomes inaccessible to amateur players. 



“In professional golf, they have never played for such fantastic amounts of money. These days, in two tournaments, some of the pros earn what I managed to win in all my life,” Player says.



“Professional golf is so popular, especially with Tiger Woods coming back now. But what we need is to build golf courses for the average man, the pros are not so important.



“Because it is the average man that comes here to enjoy the
game and have fun. Amateur player numbers are down because firstly, it is too
expensive and secondly, the game is too slow. We need to change that.”



Woods has been an icon for golf for two decades, despite injuries that kept him out of the game for long periods.



His attacking style of play and immense ability have drawn a huge fan base, including many people who would not be considered traditional golf fans.



Player believes that somewhere out there is South Africa’s own Tiger Woods and that it is only through facilities like the Soweto Country Club that they can be found.



“It depends if a person has got what I call ‘it’ and very few do have that. In the history of golf, there have probably been about 14 superstars, which are players that have won at least six Majors in my opinion. They had something that was different to others. 



“Clubs around the country should tell aspiring young players from poor backgrounds that they can come play early in the morning, or late in the evenings, whatever the case may be, to help them improve. 



“And with the right coaching, I am very hopeful that we can produce a champion.”



South African golfers have won 22 Major titles, the fourth highest of any nation behind the United States (270), Scotland (55) and England(35).



Player heads the list with his nine triumphs, followed by Bobby Locke and Ernie Els with four each, Retief Goosen (two), Trevor Immelman, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel are the other winners.



The Soweto Country Club may be the best chance yet to produce a first black champion.



-Nick Said

gettyimages-1004496342-594×594

Grass Is Greener In Soweto For Golf Legend Gary Player

He’s the elder statesman of golf in South Africa who fought his way up from nothing. He has 165 worldwide tournament victories, including nine major championships. The man they call the Black Knight, who has gained so much from the game, now wants to give back.
At the Zimbali Country Club in KwaZulu Natal, where he was host to the Gary Player Invitational in November, 2012, Player, 78, talks about his round the previous day.
“Yesterday, I spent the day with this young boy with lupus and I changed his life, but he also changed my life. He was smiling throughout and I thought to myself, ‘Here’s a guy who could die any minute,’ yet he was smiling the whole way. The problems you think you have are not really that bad and that brings things into reality,” says the legendary golfer.
Player started out as a poor kid in Booysens, south of Johannesburg, who began playing golf at the nearby South Downs Country Club. Later, he began dating the daughter of the greenskeeper and today they have 21 grandchildren.
“Gratitude is the mother of all attributes. When I check out of a hotel these days, I say thank you for the bath, toilet and the bed because most people in the world don’t have those things. The sense of entitlement is something we have to be very careful of in the world we live in today. Nobody’s entitled to anything. You have to go and work for it and earn it.
“Thank goodness I was a very poor boy and… I really struggled. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. That’s the reason I became a world champion. So many people have so much ability and never become world champions because they’ve never had to really endure any real adversity,” he says.
When Player completed the grand slam, all four grand slam titles, by winning the US Open in 1965, he famously gave his winner’s cheque back to the organizers, saying it should go to cancer research and the development of junior golf programs by the United States Golf Association. As his regular playing career came to an end, he formed the Player Foundation, which has raised more than $50 million to help alleviate poverty globally.
“At my age, to get on a plane and fly to China, India, Dubai, America, Europe and then to South Africa is not easy. Every time I do that, I seem to get invigorated when I see what’s happening. I go to India and I do a golf clinic with 300 young Indians. You go to China and—with Coca-Cola being this phenomenal sponsor—you raise 20 million RMB ($3,2 million) for children with AIDS, and you see these kids with no mother and father; and they’re living with their grandfather. You see things that are so sad and you are able to help them in their lives. It’s very gratifying,” he says.
“That’s why golf and golfers are the greatest catalyst for raising money. The American PGA tour will have raised $2 billion by 2014—more than any other team sports put together. Most pro golfers have a charity and are giving back, and I think this is fantastic.”
While Player’s major wins account for a large portion of South Africa’s major tally, the Rainbow Nation has experienced a surge in victories post-1992. South African golfers have won nine majors since then, including a major in 2012, 2011 and 2010. Player puts this dominance on the world stage down to structures in South Africa.
“South Africa is remarkable for a small country. We’ve won more major championships than any country post-war; other than the United States. We have a lot of golf academies. I have the Gary Player Golf academy at the World of Golf in Johannesburg, we have Ernie Els’ academy and we have Louis Oosthuizen who has started one now. Sally Little is trying to get things going for the ladies,” he says.
“We have the right system here; we have the right climate and the right golf courses. Our guys have done so well and they’re great ambassadors for our country… Golf is played in almost every country I know; so the coverage we are getting is fantastic.”
As for the performances of South African golfers in 2012, Player said he was pleased in particular with Ernie Els’ win at the Open.
He noted in particular the way the golfer known as ‘The Big Easy’ played the 72nd hole, which he birdied to ultimately seal the win over Australian Adam Scott.
“Watching the British Open was interesting. He came to the last hole and his course management was brilliant. Ernie said to himself, ‘If I birdie this hole, I have an outside chance of winning.’ And that’s just what he did.”
Player has often been asked what his greatest achievement in the game is and he always gives the same answer.
“Winning the grand slam as a senior… There are five of us that won the grand slam on the regular tour, but I’m the only one that’s won the grand slam on the senior tour. No rugby player, no cricket player, no tennis player, no other sportsman is playing their sport at that age with any success. It is a bit easier to do that in golf than other sports, but to go there after 50 and win the senior grand slam; that is my great joy. I never take that for granted. It’s a gift from the man above.”
Player will be remembered for his majors; he may want to be remembered for his charity, but there is no doubt he will leave behind a legacy as a humble boy from Booysens who took on the world and won.   FL

2013 Gary Player Invitational: Pro-Am

The Poor Boy  Who Became  The Black Knight

Dinesh Patel had a solid plan: go to the United States (US), play professional golf and win a PGA tournament. His dream took shape when he earned a sport scholarship to study at Florida State University. When he got there he realized that it was going to be tough.
“It’s incredibly competitive and I don’t think that I was good enough, to be honest. But I also don’t think that I wanted it badly enough&#8230; Those guys are good, they work so hard and they were willing to sacrifice so much more than I was willing to sacrifice,” he says.
Patel, the son of a doctor and teacher from Durban, South Africa, decided to focus on his business studies but flirted with the idea of a career in the music business. In his final years at university, he worked as a campus label representative for Warner Brothers’ Electro Records.
“You throw parties and you get access to all the new music and you basically build these artists on a street level.”
When it came down to a career, Patel followed the money. His first job was in Atlanta where he worked as a senior consultant for Deloitte.
“On the day I joined, I think I knew that this wasn’t for me. But it was a great training ground because you learn so much about reading financial statements and understanding the mechanics of business.”
Two years later, he worked as a banker, at the peak of the financial crisis, for Goldman Sachs in New York.
It was here that Patel came across the innovative virtual canteen, Seamless. Patel made use of Seamless to order food on the nights he worked late in the office. The company initially focused on corporates but when they branched out, catering for everyone, business boomed. The concept of Seamless remained at the back of Patel’s mind and resurfaced years later.
After 10 years in the US, Patel returned to South Africa. He had many job offers and pursued his own business ventures but struggled to find his feet.
Through it all, he kept hearing his parent’s voice ringing in his head.
“Dinesh, first you wanted to be a golfer, now you’re not a golfer, then you wanted to be an accountant, now you’re not an to accountant, then you wanted to be a trader, now you’re not a trader, then you wanted to be an actor, well now you’re not an actor. What do you want? Can you just stick to something?”
Tired and on the brink of giving up, Patel experienced his epiphany. It came while he was lounging on his parent’s couch, in Cape Town, and the conversation was about dinner. It came down to two options: chicken from Nando’s or pizza from Panarottis.
“That’s when I immediately thought ‘there must be more options, if we had Seamless here it would be so good.’”
That night, Patel dashed out to meet Joseph Okleberry, who would become an investor. He had relocated from the US to South Africa to work as an internet strategist for Naspers. Okleberry brought his expertise of the web to the table.
Their conversation went something like this: “Joe you used Seamless, I used Seamless. Do you think something like this would work in South Africa?”
Okleberry was keen on the idea and the two men spent the rest of the evening drawing up the plan for OrderIn – an online food ordering service. It would partner with companies that offered delivery and customers would pay restaurant prices. In return, OrderIn would charge restaurants 8%.
Patel spent the next three months researching. He sent a proposal to Jason Finger, the founder of Seamless in the US, who jumped in.
“Jason brought in his development team from Seamless so we had all of their experience to build OrderIn from scratch. We used their experience and avoided some of the mistakes they had made. It was fascinating to see what a website that does a quarter million orders a day looks like,” says Patel.
Hennie Booysen, who worked for Skype in London and is also a co-founder of Groupon, joined the team as a co-founder. He brought his expertise in the e-commerce space.
With the help from an investor at Naspers and a hedge fund in New York, OrderIn secured the capital.
Patel formed a team of five who worked on the website for eight months, from a house in Camps Bay in Cape Town. As the launch neared, there were nerves.
Then the first order rang in.
“Everyone freaked out! We were like ‘oh my gosh there’s actually an order,’” says Patel.
The customer, who was working late at Investec, had a craving for sushi. Everything was running as planned. The order appeared on the OrderIn system, the machine at the sushi bar had printed the receipt and the customer received notification that the order would take 45 minutes. There was only one problem; the sushi bar had no delivery man.
“I raced from my house to the restaurant, picked up the food and dropped it off at the customer,” says Patel.
The guy told Patel, dressed casually, that he didn’t look like a delivery guy. Patel spun the story that as the first customer he received a special delivery from the founder and CEO.
Although OrderIn has had its fair share of hiccups, it has not deterred them. By next year, they would have signed 650 restaurants.
Patel says many overlook the cost of staff, maintaining a website and customer service when calculating profits.
“A lot of guys coming into the market are pricing themselves very cheaply, one to three percent. But the reality of it is that’s not a sustainable business model.”
When it comes to business, the 32-year-old founder and CEO of OrderIn doesn’t worry much, as he relies on the expertise of his team.
“I’m always the stupidest guy in the room. My investors and our team are so much smarter than me, that makes running a business so much easier.”
From sportsman to banker and now online food, Patel is happy he kept moving forward.
“I’ve always had this hustle. I want to do something on my own; I want to create something… When you are in a large corporate environment you don’t feel like you’re in control and as an entrepreneur, I think you want to feel like you are in control. You want to feel like you’ve got a say in your destiny.”
So, if at first you don’t succeed, try everything, try anything but try, try and try again.

‘I’m Always The  Stupidest Guy In The Room’

While a sunny Friday beckons at your office window, you feel cooped up inside with a pile of work. If only you could be on the golf course: feeling the breeze; practising your swing and enjoying a cold one at the 19th hole. But the guilt you’d feel about leaving your in-tray until Monday, far outweighs the benefits of a little exercise. It’s time to start thinking differently about golf. If you change your perspective and play the game with the right mindset, it can be a powerful business tool that can bring you much further than your nagging in-tray.
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<h4>The Game Of Fortune</h4>
In his book Deals on the Green: Lessons on Business and Golf from America’s Top Executives, David Rynecki explains the secret that many a successful executive has learned: golf can be one of the most powerful tools in your business briefcase.
“No matter how sophisticated the tools become—the email and teleconferencing, the BlackBerrys and Powerpoint presentations—golf remains the true communication hub of business.”
In fact, 90% of Fortune 500-listed CEOs play golf, according to the Chicago Tribune. However, whether this is because the game teaches certain skills that are valuable in business, or because it has simply become a fraternity for like-minded businesspeople over the years, is unclear.
Whatever the reason, the results are the same: golf improves your business game. In a study by Pompeu Fabra University, in Spain, researchers found that CEOs who are not regular golfers are paid 17% less than those who are, and for every stroke a CEO’s handicap increases, he receives 6% less in salary plus bonuses.
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<h4>Pressure Test</h4>
If money isn’t what drives you, here’s more motivation to pick up that driver and get swinging: golf is also a useful personality test.
“Golf teaches you about a person’s reactions in adversity, how they deal competitively with situations, because with golf there is such an easy mechanism to take advantage of the rules,” writes Rynecki.
“I’m not worried about their skills as a player, but rather how they conduct themselves, as golf, like business and life, will test you in a multitude of ways,” he says.
Golf’s challenge is to stay calm under pressure, think strategically and act gentlemanly even when you’d much rather repeatedly bash your club against the nearest tree, when your game goes south. It calls for competitiveness, focus and discipline; qualities that get you ahead in the boardroom too.
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<h4>The Great Equaliser</h4>
Golf affords you the chance to conduct business without the pressures of the office environment. One of the virtues of the game is that people of any age can play. You wouldn’t want your 65-year-old client to have a heart attack while running after your squash serve, but golf allows him to do things at his own pace, and have enough breath to talk while he does so.
It’s the great equaliser: “[Golf gives you] the opportunity to spend quality time with like-minded people from all walks of life. No matter who you are or what you do professionally, golf is a real leveller,” says Ebrahim Matthews, MD of Diners Club, South Africa.
Even if you’re not Tiger Woods, ditch that in-tray and get onto the course for some practice. In golf, losing doesn’t mean losing out!

Golf Means Business

Who says being a caddie lacks romance?
Two Zimbabweans, both alike in dignity, in the United States where we lay our scene: one a professional golfer, the other a hairdresser.
Ryan Cairns, a former number-one golfer in Zimbabwe, was in the United States when he came across Tammy Birkett’s profile on Facebook. He liked what he saw and thought he had met her before but when he made contact, it turned out they were complete strangers.
“The only reason I accepted [his friend request] was because we had 120 mutual friends,” says Birkett.
Their conversations became more frequent and, as fate would have it, on an auspicious day they were booked on the same flight from New York to Zimbabwe. They checked in together and after 16 hours there was love in the air. After the two began dating, Cairns popped the question: will you caddie for me?
Their first game together was at the Sunshine Big Easy Tour in 2012. Cairns played well, perhaps he was trying to impress Birkett, and landed his first professional win. It was also a first for Birkett as a caddie. She learnt that there was more to it than knowing the yardage, pin placements and which club to use.
“At the time I had run out of money and instead of me paying, she paid for herself. She sponsored her own trip down to South Africa from Harare… [We] ended up winning the tournament and my career turned around. She took a chance on me and that made a huge difference,” says Cairns.
Like any relationship the bond between caddie and player is developed through trials and successes on the green. When Cairns is struggling, Birkett knows just what to do.
“One thing that I always say is, ‘Imagine yourself in a couple of hours when we are watching a movie, chilling, and you’re not even going to have this bad feeling that you have right now, so there is no point in holding onto that.’”
Birkett, who is now in her second year as a caddie, says that her biggest problem—besides being one of the few female caddies—is getting in line with the pedantic.
“When I first started, there were so many rules around the green like walking on your lines… you can’t talk, whisper at certain times and moving the bag was such an issue.”
Across the Beitbridge border, in South Africa, another caddie shares his secret of success.
It was the summer of 1998 at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, also known as the million-dollar golf challenge. As the tournament came to a close Tiger Woods seemed the likely winner. But with a then course record of 24 under par, Nick Price walked away with the trophy. A few steps behind him, carrying his bag, stood Tiger Lekhulene.
“We had beaten Tiger Woods. How many people can say that they beat Tiger Woods?” says Lekhulene.
Beating his namesake was the end of a very long road for Lekhulene. At the age of 14, he began his career as a caddie at Randpark Golf Club in Johannesburg, to pay for his school fees. He matriculated and became a fulltime caddie for top players, including Ian Palmer, Sally Little and Des Terblanche. Of all the players he has carried for, none of them have won as many tournaments as Price. For the past 33 years, Lekhulene has carried for him and is proud to call him a friend.
“I met Nicky by chance. He came to practice at Randpark and asked me to pick up balls for him. After his practice he asked me to caddie for him… he won the first professional game I caddied for him [Asseng TV Challenge Series], in 1979.”
Although caddies advise the player on what club to use and how to play the shot, at the end of the day they know not to overstep.
“You can discuss how to hit a shot but the final decision is up to him, he is the one who is going to hit the ball. You can’t force him to play a shot that he doesn’t want to play,” says Lekhulene.
Although Lekhulene enjoys his career, he says that his biggest issue is in the politics of the game.
“Golfers are not giving professional caddies a fair chance as they used to. I feel white people no longer feel like they should be giving black people so much money. They would rather have their cousins, fathers or family members caddie for them and give them the money. This is placing our careers as professionally-trained caddies at risk,” says Lekhulene.
Both Lekhulene and Birkett agree that there are perks. You get to see the world, make a good living and on top of your pay you often get a very good commission. According to the Sunshine Tour in South Africa, caddies’ salaries differ from caddie to caddie, as it is an agreement between the caddie and the golfer.
Although Lekhulene and Birkett have taken different paths, they both became caddies to top golfers in Africa, proving that there is no set way to become a caddie. Sometimes it takes hard work; sometimes it’s a meeting on the green; and sometimes it’s a romance on a social networking site.

Will You Caddie For Me, Dear?

As the 2013 European tour began at Royal Durban Country Club in South Africa in December, the tour had a new member—take note of this name: Justin Walters. Like Branden Grace in 2012, here was another young man from South Africa on the verge of a breakthrough in the tough world of professional golf.
Also like Grace, Walters, 32, goes into his European tour campaign with just one backyard victory to his credit in the Sunshine Tour. Unlike Grace, who enjoyed a fairy-tale rise, it has been a grim journey for Walters. When he was four years old, Walters suffered a damaging and traumatic eye injury.
“I have 50 percent vision in my right eye. I suffer with double vision and lazy eye, you name it,” says Walters in the players’ lounge at Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate, where he was playing the 102nd South African Open in November.
“I fight a lot of conditions with it. When I was four years old, I had a pine needle go straight through my eye. I&#8217;ve had several operations, five or six, trying to help it. Right now, it&#8217;s as good as it&#8217;s going to get. I have a contact lens in my right eye. I&#8217;ve had it [the condition] so long, maybe it does hurt me, but I&#8217;m so used to it now. I can&#8217;t spend too much time dwelling on it.
Walters explains that overcast skies, rather than bright sunshine, are the biggest worry for him on the golf course.
“There will be several occasions when I&#8217;m out on the golf course when I can see two golf balls, four sets of shoes and my double vision really causes havoc. I wear Oakley sunglasses all the time, the guys take care of me and really get me through a day&#8217;s golf. They limit the fatigue on my eyes and help me do my job as good as I can.”
Securing playing privileges doesn&#8217;t come much tougher than playing the Challenge Tour for a full season, but that&#8217;s just what Walters did. The Challenge Tour, the secondary tour in Europe, provides 20 cards for the main European tour, via the season-long money list. Walters was outside the top 20, coming into the final event of the season in Italy, and needed a good finish to get his card. He wasn&#8217;t just playing for money; he was playing for his future.
Even after the first round he wasn&#8217;t lying well after a level par 71.
“I got off to a really slow start, and your back is against the wall. There was only one of two results—I was going to play well and get it done or I wasn&#8217;t.”
He played the next three rounds in 14 under par to finish fifth for the event. If Walters was two shots worse, he would have missed out on getting his card completely. In those circumstances, to come through and make the grade, shows great mental strength and determination—something that bodes well for the European main tour.
“The night before the final round, I was a little bit nervous and it was really tight. All the guys around me were right there or ahead of me. I knew I had to produce something that was half-decent. It was a very stressful day, but I got off to such a good start. I made the mental goal of not looking at a leader board the whole day. The conditions were tough and I was playing well. I managed to post a really good score given the conditions. When I tapped in for par on 18, that was the first time I looked at a leader board and saw I had managed to cross the finish line.”
Walters studied in the States at North Carolina State University, where he did business management and qualified cum laude. There he was roommates with fellow South African Garth Mulroy, who now campaigns on the US PGA Tour. Walters said the reason he went abroad was because of his father&#8217;s influence and having a back-up career, if the golf path did not pan out.
“My dad was quite hard on me, he really wanted to make sure I had a degree to go with me pursuing golf. At the time in South Africa, that wasn&#8217;t really possible. It was either a degree or you just played golf. It really improved my game and played a big role in where I am today.”
Walters explains the conditions in the States help make better-rounded players. Added to that is the high competition level at college, where the best players from around the world ply their future trade before turning professional.
“If you look at the PGA Tour and European Tour, a lot of the guys have gone through the college system. If you can show your worth there, it certainly gives you a good boost mentally and confidence to take on the pro ranks.
Walters is honest with his expectations—he doesn&#8217;t know what to expect, but with help of the healthy contingent of South Africans out on tour, he hopes to be able to cement his place among the top golfers in the world.
“I&#8217;m lucky that there&#8217;s a big tribe of South Africans playing there [in the European Tour]. I&#8217;ve already spoken to a couple of the players and the caddies, asking if they can take me under their wings and show me the ropes. I&#8217;ll be relying on them as much as I can and hopefully in a year&#8217;s time I can sit here and tell you more.”
Walters has conquered the pain of the pine needle of outrageous fortune, now he wants to conquer the world.

The Rising Star  With The Lazy Lucky Eye

We all know the one they call the Blade Runner or 400m-sensation Oscar Pistorius. He’s transformed the Paralympics into a global showpiece. Now, a new generation of disabled people dreams of competing at the Paralympics.
Golf has been included in the Olympic Games for 2016. Disabled golfers have set their sights on Paralympic inclusion in Rio in the same year. There’s just one problem—there’s no international disabled golfing body. The South African Disabled Golf Association (SAGDA) is fighting to get this code included on the world stage.
And SAGDA has one very powerful asset. His name is Daniel Slabbert.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1207" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/DSC_0136-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" />
He wanted to be a professional golfer—he was young and talented. But when he was 14, a playful afternoon jumping on a trampoline ended in devastation. He caught the trampoline off balance and severed the tendons and major arteries in his left leg above the knee. His leg was amputated.
The accident would have left many an individual pondering a bleak future, but Slabbert—he was back swinging a golf club in little over 12 weeks—recalls the brief transition from recovery to playing again.
“Three months later, I came home with a prosthetic. Not long after that, I dusted off my clubs. It was a pretty slow process, but soon I was hitting it as well as ever. Being able to pick up a club and play competitive golf again not only saved my sanity, it gave me purpose,” says Slabbert.
Well, the purpose Slabbert speaks of has gained much greater significance. Last year, he won his maiden Nedbank SA Disabled Open by two strokes. This year, he defended his title; this time, by a whopping 17 shots. The victory is significant, but the margin of his win is even more important. In Slabbert, South Africa possesses a potential world champion.
The head of SAGDA, Eugene Vorster, echoes this sentiment.
“I’m talking to him [Slabbert] regularly and the guys at the high performance program at Tuks [University of Pretoria] are saying he’s showing great promise on an amateur level to reach the highest level, which in South Africa is quite tough.”
Vorster explains how Slabbert’s new prosthetic has made a huge difference to his game, but ultimately his attitude will determine his success.
“With technology, with a better leg, it will help. What is exciting about Daniel is that his heart is in the right place and so is his head.”
One of the major barriers, says Vorster, to getting disabled golf to the Paralympics is money.
“Especially for us, as South Africans, for us to become international players is going to be a long journey. Compare our costs with players overseas—it costs our guys a lot more. There are a few challenges, but as is the case with able-bodied golfers, disabled South African golfers are close to the best in the world.”
One of the first showcase events for SAGDA will come at the R2 million ISPS HANDA South African Match Play Championship at Zwartkop Country Club in October. Disabled golfers and able-bodied professionals will play at the same event.
The point of such an event, says Midori Miyazaki, the executive director of international affairs for ISPS, is exposure.
“Paralympics is a big, big mission. To get golf in there is a long way to go, but I think one of the things we can do is to let people know that golf can be played by the disabled and actually change their lives. The exposure through the Sunshine Tour, through the professional golfers, their backing, it helps a huge amount,” says Miyazaki.
Vorster says the tournament will act as a stepping stone.
“We’re aiming first at getting that lucrative international professional tour and then Paralympic inclusion. Wouldn’t it be great, like the wheelchair basketball players, to have an international professional tour.”

Golfer Drives Hard For  Paralympic Chance

Ten years is a long wait, especially when you’re 42. It seems even longer when you’re a professional golfer. When you’re one of the former elite golfers in the world, it’s a lifetime. That’s how long it has been since Ernie Els’ last major triumph, in 2002.
It was said he was done, that he should hang up his clubs. It’s a good thing Ernie Els wasn’t listening, or maybe he was.
The birdie, courtesy of a beautiful silky putting stroke at the 72nd hole, was the final flourish. It meant he won by a stroke in the British Open at Royal Lytham &amp; St Annes on July 22 to become a four-time major champion.
The overnight leader, Australian Adam Scott, stole most of the headlines, as he let a four-shot lead slip in the final round, with four consecutive bogies in a stunning collapse. Yet it was Els, who had been on the wrong end of a denouement several times before, who was rewarded for a breath-taking performance.
“In March I looked like an absolute fool,” Els said with hesitation in his voice, alluding to a number of tournaments being thrown away from a winning position earlier in the year.
<div id="attachment_1200" style="width: 195px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1200" class="size-medium wp-image-1200" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/110564455_10-185x300.jpg" alt="" width="185" height="300" />Ernie Els of South Africa with his son Ben who suffers from Autism enjoying time on the course during the Els for Autism Pro-am at The PGA National Golf Club on March 21, 2011 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)</div>
“People were laughing at me and making jokes about me and really hitting me low, saying I’m done and I should hang it up. So to come through and make a putt like that and make pressure putts on the back nine, that was the whole goal. That was the whole thing. Going through all the different feelings and processes&#8230; So to sit here with it (he points to the trophy) now is quite satisfying.”
Els, in combination with visual skills and performance coach, Sherylle Calder, turned around his game. He had not won anywhere since the South African Open in December 2010 and many thought he had passed his sell-by date.
Together with Calder, Els completely reworked the way he approached his putting—which had been his Achilles’ heel in his winless streak—to produce a confident and winning stroke. Calder has coached everyone from the All Blacks rugby team to the South African cricket team in improving their hand-eye coordination.
“When you’ve been where I was, you have no confidence in putting, you don’t want to have that one coming back. It comes from retraining your whole outlook on putting. And that’s why I started working with Sherylle, just changed the whole thing, mind-set, training, everything. And I was really going from a totally different angle, which I liked, because I tried everything else.”
Els, since winning that last major a decade ago, learned that his young son, Ben, aged 10, has autism. Digesting that news alone seemed to have an effect on his game and the wins dried up after 2010 as Els entered his 40s.
Els said it wasn’t easy to live up to his nickname—The Big Easy.
“Yeah, well, that’s easier said than done, isn’t it? This game is a tough game we play. It’s a physical game. It’s a mental game. You’ve got to have your wits with you, otherwise you have a missing link and it doesn’t quite all come together. So to play the game as long as I have, for 23 years now as a professional, you’re bound to go through every emotion out there and most of the things happen to you.”
The former world-number one believed that his changed attitude was the deciding factor.
“I’ve done what Adam has done before. Just about everything that can happen in the game of golf, I’ve gone through. So to come through all that and sit here and speak to you guys with the Claret Jug is crazy. And it comes from a good attitude, yeah, being a bit more relaxed and believing in yourself.”
Els turns back to his son, and how he thought of him during the final round to help him achieve the win.
“I made a lot of putts with Ben in mind today, because I know Ben’s watching. He loves when I hit golf balls. He’s always there. He comes with me. He loves the flight of the ball and the sound. I know he was watching today, and I was trying to keep him—because he gets really excited. I wanted to keep him excited today, so I made a lot of putts for him today.”
Els admitted he has lost more often in his career than he has won, but that he could always feel the difference all was well&#8230;
“It’s amazing this game, you know. You have a positive feel; you give yourself positive vibes, sometimes positive things happen. And I think I’ve been in such a negative mode for a while, and now that I’m starting to feel more positive, obviously things happen, especially on the back nine where I haven’t really done the job.”
Els also explained how he felt he had to thank former President Nelson Mandela for the encouragement he had given him during his career—especially the early parts of the 1990s.
“If I win, I told myself, I’d better thank President Mandela because I grew up in the era of apartheid and then changing into the democratic era, and President Mandela was right there. And right after the change, I was the first one to win a major.”
“And so there’s a lot of significance there in my life, from the change from that and then President Mandela becoming president and me winning a golf tournament. And then him getting on the telephone with him talking to me when I was in Pittsburgh, Oakmont [the 1994 US Open]. So in a way we intertwined together in a crazy way. And I just felt he’s been so important for us being where we are today as a nation and as sports people.”
Els has now come full-circle, from promising major-winning talent, to the also ran, to the comeback kid. The Big Easy is back and ready to win again.

Ernie, Who Els?

Sitting in the players’ lounge at Glendower Golf Club, 18-year-old Brandon Stone had just suffered a devastating loss in the 2012 SA Amateur Strokeplay Championship. He had managed, somehow, to turn a five-shot lead after two rounds into a sixth place finish, miles behind winner and fellow countryman, Haydn Porteous.
Remarkably, the young man appeared anything but devastated and said it was merely a learning curve on the way to what many in the game believe will be a bright future. This is the kind of maturity that will get him far in this game. After all, everybody out on tour is talented; it’s what goes on between the ears that separates the good from the great.
Stone, the son of veteran Sunshine Tour professional Kevin Stone, is the number one ranked amateur in the country. He has won national colors for every age group, from under 14 through under 18.
In January, he won two successive top amateur events—the KwaZulu Natal Open and the Prince’s Grant Invitational by a massive 10 shots, almost lapping the field. At the SA Amateur it started well too.
“I was playing so well the first two-and-a-half days,” says a smiling Brandon, looking at ease in his interview, like a seasoned tour professional.
“There are just some things you can control and some you can’t, and it was obvious I wasn’t meant to win this year, although the way I played the first two days was fantastic,” he pauses, recalling the cruel bounce he got on his ninth hole in the third round, where his ball hit the pin and ricocheted into the water, resulting in a triple bogey. This was the turning point in his tournament.
“I gave it all I could and I can’t ask more of myself, so at the end of the week I’m still proud of myself for performing—maybe not as well as I wanted, but I still gave my all and put top effort into every shot.”
Stone jokes that he started playing golf in his mother’s womb, but his love for the game came from admiring his dad’s swing at an early age.
“Since I could walk I was hitting balls with plastic clubs and I’ve always enjoyed the game. I’ve played Northerns under-12, 14, 16, 18, 19 and SA under 14, 16 and 18. So, I’ve always had a passion for the game,” he explains.
“It’s a sport I knew I was going to play and always wanted to play. That was the biggest worry for my dad; he didn’t want to push me, but I want to play. I play every day because I love it.”
His eyes light up when he talks about playing golf for a living.
“There’s nothing better than playing golf for me, because that’s what I want to do.
“You get some bad weeks like this week [although sixth place in the SA Amateur isn’t too shabby], but you get some great weeks like the first two weeks of the year for me, when I won back to back.”
Stone goes on to explain how winning is catchy and something that he has chased from a very young age.
“You just have to remember those good weeks, and come back the next week and try and win again. That feeling of winning is addictive. That feeling of accomplishment in your heart is what you want in life. That’s what I get from golf and I will do whatever I have to do to get it.”
Stone tells FORBES AFRICA about his 10-year plan; his ambitions are anything but modest.
“I want to play on the PGA tour,” he says.
The US PGA tour is the top tour in the world and the chances of making it there are slim.
He will not be going the popular route of turning professional at 18 and plying his trade on the local Sunshine Tour, effectively making cash straight away. Instead, he will be going to the United States to the University of Texas in Austin. Stone recently finished his schooling in 2011 at Cornwall College in Pretoria, attending just 18 days during the year.
Stone explains the unique relationship he has, both with his tour professional father and with an outside swing coach, Llewellyn van Luren.
“My dad is more of the ‘monitor’, as we call him. He’ll make sure I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing and if he feels that there’s something that doesn’t correspond with what Llewellyn has me working on, he’ll say so.
“My support structure around is me is unbelievable; my friends, my family, Facebook and Twitter—they’re all supporting and pushing me. And I think that’s so vital in this game of golf, which is such an individual game.”
‘Pebbles’, as he is known by his peers, will be off to the US in August, where he will start a three-year course in media studies.
Once he graduates, his plan is to turn professional and first try and qualify for the secondary tour there—the Nationwide Tour. From there he will try and make the progression onto the main PGA tour, either through qualifying school or with a high finish on the Nationwide Tour money list.
He will follow the path of fellow countryman Tim Clark, now 36, who did the same thing over a decade ago and now has over $10 million in career earnings.
One thing is for sure: at 18, Stone knows exactly where he’s going, and with the skill to back it up, he is earmarked as a leader of a new generation of South African world-beaters: Els, Goosen, Grace, Stone…wh

The Rolling Stone  That Gathers No Loss

As we wait at the Johannesburg Country Club on a warm Friday afternoon to meet Thabo Maseko, the youngest qualified PGA golfer, it is hard to know what to expect. Could he be Africa’s Tiger Woods in 10 years, or just another very good weekend golfer?
The Johannesburg Country Club, an oasis of trees and grass amid concrete, is to the north of the city and alive with activity. Some people are hitting balls on the lush green fairways, while others take a late lunch. From behind us a young, polite man arrives and greets us.
<div id="attachment_503" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-503" class="wp-image-503 size-medium" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_6128-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />Thabo Maseko at the Johannesburg Country Club</div>
There are no other black golfers in sight. In fact, before 19-year-old Maseko was born, most black golfers weren’t allowed to compete on South Africa’s golf courses, let alone play professionally in tournaments including the Sunshine Tour, a prestigious tournament that Maseko has just qualified to play in this year. In those days, most black people on golf courses were caddies—a million miles away from an aspiring black golf professional like Maseko.
“It’s a dream come true—something I’ve wanted to do pretty much my whole life. It did come a bit early, but I was definitely ready for the change. I’m just relishing the challenge, to be honest. It’s an amazing feeling and I’m looking forward to it,” he says with a big smile on his face.
Maseko, who is ranked 835th in the European golf ranking, is humble and just happy to be doing what he does best—play golf.
“It’s exciting because I’m just playing. I’ve got nothing to lose and I’m young. You know other guys are playing for their lives; it’s like a real job for them. I’m just having fun out there and I’m doing what I love. Instead of going to varsity, I’m playing golf—it’s just awesome,” Maseko says.
Maseko, son of former CEO of the South African Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), Themba Maseko, says he started to like golf after watching his dad play socially. Maseko says he then started hitting balls around when he was about 10 years old, but it wasn’t until he saw Tiger Woods on television that he wanted to be a professional golfer; he started playing, aged 12.
It’s not easy to make it as a professional golfer, and one has to go to tour school to qualify as a professional. Maseko attended The Golf School of Excellence in Observatory, Johannesburg, and had to finish in the top 10 out of his group to qualify as a tour professional.
“That week is an intense one—you play four rounds, you know you can’t mess up; every shot is really important. It really was a difficult week, but I’m glad I came out,” Maseko says.
Mike Taylor of the Sunshine Tour says Maseko is exceptionally good for his age and is a promising talent. “He’s got his head squarely on his shoulders and looks pretty sharp when he’s on the green. He broke 70 on his first day of tour school trials. He played confidently and has really good skills,” says Taylor.
“At the end of the day, I’m working towards a goal; so in the next couple of years, hopefully I can be number one. I guess we’re all practising hard out there—it’s long hours—we just want to be the best we can, really,” Maseko says enthusiastically.
Opportunities are endless to make money in the game and can turn a golfer into a multi-millionaire.
“Put it this way—playing for $460,000 a week in prize money, if you finish in the top 30, you can make around $13,000-$20,000 a week straight,” says Maseko.
Life can be tough without sponsors because golf is an expensive sport.
“We’re also speaking to a few new potential sponsors right now; we’re going to be signing in the next couple of weeks—I can’t say right now who I’m speaking to, but it’s pretty big. They’ll be giving me tons of money a month to go play, and I’m going to Europe as well; they want to support me, especially because there hasn’t been a young black golfer on tour. So people are giving me opportunities and it’s looking good.”
So what does the young golfer hope to achieve in the near future? “I’ve only been professional now for about four weeks, so hopefully as soon as I find my feet, I’ll make a few cuts and make a bit of money. But right now, I’m not thinking about the money. I just want to go and show my talent and pick up the trophies,” Maseko says, smiling confidently.
Tiger Woods must be looking over his shoulder.

Tag: Golf

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