Indholdsfortegnelse for Autumn 2025 i Compleat Golfer

DYLAN NAIDOO 'I think it's finally sinking in! Wow. What a privilege to call myself the 2025 Investec SA Open champion. I'm blown away by the support I've received! I'm so proud to be the first person of colour to win this event. It means the world to me.' - The 27-year-old celebrated after claiming his first DP World Tour title following a dramatic playoff at Durban Country Club. LUDVIG ABERG 'Surreal feeling to win at Torrey Pines. Team win!' - The 25-year-old Swede beamed alongside Tiger Woods after winning the Genesis Invitational in San Diego, California, to secure his second PGA Tour title. WILCO NIENABER Just won my second NTT Data Pro-Am. Really proud of myself.' - The 24-year-old was delighted with his seven-stroke victory, four years after claiming…

10. McILROY COMPLETES CAREER SLAM For so long it seemed destined not to happen. Rory McIlroy, the standout golfer of his generation, without the title he coveted most - one that would complete the career Grand Slam. Despite holding a four-shot lead at one point on the back nine on Sunday at The Masters, it was never going to be easy for McIlroy to close this one out. There was simply too much scar tissue from previous disappointments - and too much at stake. What followed was a mixture of nervy swings and miracle shots, culminating in an ugly bogey from the middle of the fairway on the 72nd hole, when par would have got the job done. Thankfully, McIlroy held his nerve in a tense playoff with fellow Ryder…

After a groundbreaking 2024, the Els for Autism Foundation (E4A) is set to make an even bigger impact in 2025, both on and off the golf course. The foundation has received tremendous support from the golfing and wider sporting communities, with South African legends Victor Matfield and AB de Villiers (far right] making significant contributions to its initiatives with their appearances last year. The 2025 campaign kicks off at Stellenbosch Golf Club in early April before heading to Bloemfontein Golf Club and Blair Atholl Golf and Equestrian Estate in May. Ernie Els (right], who played at Oubaai in 2024, has committed to returning for the final event at Oubaai in December, further demonstrating his dedication to the cause. Beyond golf, the foundation has ramped up its efforts off the course,…

BYRON NELSON (1945) Not only was Nelson’s win at Moraine Country Club one of the more impressive comebacks in The PGA Championship’s history, but it also capped an incredible year for the American golfer. Still a matchplay event, he was two down after Byrd birdied four straight holes from the 15th to the 18th. But Nelson fought back to win 4 & 3. In total, he won 18 events that year with The PGA Championship being the eighth he had won in a row. GARY PLAYER (1972) Player’s longevity and physical fitness have always been the hallmarks of his game and it was at The PGA Championship at Oakland Hills when those attributes started coming to the fore. He claimed a two-shot win thanks in no small part to a…

This is my 18th year on Tour. It’s crazy to think that I have been playing professionally for 18 years already! It feels like just the other day that I turned pro on my 18th birthday. I had a great off-season, spending three weeks in Australia after playing the ISPS Handa Australian Women's Open and narrowly missing out on the three-peat, finishing in second place. We then made our way to South Africa for Christmas where we enjoyed lots of family time and a week down in Ballito with friends. The best part about the break is I didn't touch a club for five weeks. I have found over the years that it's so important for me to have that break from golf. I avoid burnout and it gives me…

This drill is great for learning the correct wrist hinge in your golf swing. I like to think of the wrist hinge as an additional lever in the swing - one that creates extra power when released and helps you to make good contact with the ball. By cocking your wrists, you can load up your backswing and store up some power in your hands that can be released through impact. The correct way of setting your wrists is to have some upward wrist-set, as well as some backward wrist-set. This may sound a bit strange, but I'll explain what I mean, and how to get it right, in the drill sequence below. Getting it right From address, I set my wrists straight upward, without using my arms - just…

PUTTERS CLEVELAND HB Soft 2 Black What they say: "The all-new HB SOFT 2 Black putter adds a premium, black satin finish and premium, multi-material UST Mamiya all-in shaft to our acclaimed HB SOFT 2 lineup. Combine that with Cleveland Golf's milled speed optimised face technology, plus a precisely fit hosel style, toe hang, alignment line and grip, and you get consistent distance performance in a finely tuned, near-custom putter for a practical price. Simply choose your stroke type and preferred head shape, and we'll hand build your HB SOFT 2 Black putter to its perfectly balanced spec.' TITLEIST Scotty Cameron Studio Style What they say: "The most significant redesign of the Scotty Cameron blade offering in recent history, the 2025 Studio Style line is a bold statement of the…

Not too long ago, all hope was lost when our development programme, which places juniors into the NCAA system through the Leadbetter Golf Academy here in Zimbabwe, was on the brink of closing doors due to lack of funding. A special thanks to a visionary and great friend of our programme (and co-founder of The Huffington Post), James Boyce, who swooped in to save us by way of an introduction to an innovative, out-of-the-box, African-born footwear company headquartered in New York. Now, in a remarkable fusion of tradition and innovation, the Leadbetter Golf Academy has been relaunched at Royal Harare Golf Club, proudly sponsored by ENDA Sportswear. This collaboration signifies a homecoming for the esteemed academy and heralds a new era for golf in Zimbabwe. David Leadbetter (above), a name…

AB de Villiers, who enjoyed a 14-year international career and was last year inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, also adores golf and first picked up a club at the age of three. De Villiers grew up in a sports-crazy family and his father, Dr AB de Villiers, was the man who introduced his son to the sport. De Villiers Snr only picked up the game of golf at university, and despite not playing often, owing to his studies in medicine, he reached a one handicap and, according to the younger De Villiers, he was a natural ball-player. The 40-year-old De Villiers clearly inherited the sporting genes and has a cricket net in his backyard which doubles as a driving range. De Villiers remains addicted to the game but…

Of all the things that Bryson DeChambeau has engineered, from building his own set of irons to bulking up physically to developing his own putting method and everything from new training for his brain to new breathing exercises, his latest move stands out head and shoulders above it all. DeChambeau has re-engineered professional golf. For the past few years, while professional golf has been trying to plan, plot, think, argue and fight a way forward in the game as it attempts to navigate the influx of new money, new interests, new partners and new horizons, DeChambeau has quietly been re-engineering himself. What has emerged is probably the prototype of what the ‘new’ golf professional looks like. A man who can win Majors and multiple tournaments in the traditional format of…

North West teenager Bryan Newman captured the 2025 R&A Africa Amateur Championship in fine style, relying on a conservative approach to hold off the challenge of Zimbabwe's Keegan Shutt to emerge victorious at Leopard Creek. The 17-year-old overcame every obstacle, including high temperatures and fast greens on the final day, to produce a closing 74 and claim a two-shot win and with it, a raft of exemptions. Newman not only earned berths at The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush and The 130th Amateur Championship, but will also tee it up at the Sunshine Tour's Alfred Dunhill Championship, the Investec South African Open and the Waterfall City Tournament of Champions powered by Attacq. 'All those things that come with winning this mean so much, Newman said. 'It's such a privilege to…

It was the final round of the SDC Open at Zebula Country Club in January this year. Daniel van Tonder was seven shots behind Altin van der Merwe, who had dominated the tournament and led going into the final day. Van Tonder walked into the clubhouse in a jovial mood, and one of the caddies knew exactly what this meant. ‘When he’s in this kind of mood, he’s going to make birdies. Plenty of them,’ the caddie joked as he picked up his own player’s bag and walked into a final round where Van Tonder shot a 67 - including four straight birdies to finish - to catch Van der Merwe and then beat him in a playoff. It was another example of just how entertaining Van Tonder can be…

AB de Villiers served as caddie for his golfing pal Christiaan Bezuidenhout at the Par 3 Contest, played on the eve of this year’s Masters, and tested his luck with a sand-wedge. 'I hit a nice little sand-wedge in there, found the green, spun back to the front fringe area. I’m pretty happy,’ De Villiers said. ‘I was completely numb. Could hardly breathe. I’m happy with the result. ‘Absolute privilege,’ he added. ‘Glad to be here. I’ve been watching this event since I was three years old. It’s great to be here with my mate and walk the golf course.’…