Innehållsförteckning för November 2021 från Compleat Golfer

After a couple of celebratory drinks – vodka and ice, beer and champagne (not all in the same glass) – the DJ entered the house, ready to continue the party. One of the assembled media, seeing the mood Dustin Johnson was in, asked whether he could still out-party his younger teammates. Alongside and behind him were his 11 compatriots who had brought golfs most treasured silverware, the Ryder Cup, back to American shores. They had done so in crushing fashion, dominating Europe from the first morning to close out an emphatic 19-9 victory. One of those players was fourtime Major champion Brooks Koepka. He tilted his head back, looked across to Justin Thomas, and smiled. He’d seen this side of DJ before and knew what was coming. ‘Abso-effing-lutely. Next question,’…

The first real salvoes in limiting the distance a golf ball can fly have come thanks to research that was begun in 2014. Armed with results and ‘facts’, the governing bodies, the R&A and the USGA announced that from the beginning of 2022 clublength limits may be restricted to a maximum of 46 inches. This isn’t a rule set in stone, but instead the authorities have allowed it to be an optional choice as a ‘Model Local Rule’ for top-level tournaments. For those who are going down to their local club to play their midweek and weekend rounds, there’s no need to take along a tape measure just yet as the recreational game will not be affected. The decision to limit golf club lengths to inches, with a ‘local rules’…

At the Founders Cup on the LPGA Tour, Nelly Korda drove her ball into the penalty area on the right of the 3rd hole. This illustrated a number of facets about the Penalty Area Rule and how it is applied. Firstly, her ball actually plugged into the grass bank adjacent to the water but still within the margin of the red line demarcating the penalty area You don’t get relief for an embedded ball in the penalty area so your only option would be to play it as it lies or to proceed under the penalty relief options. You can take lateral relief and drop the ball within two clublengths of where it last crossed the red line; drop the ball on a line back from the point where it…

The honour of being the signature hole at Knysna Golf Club is hotly contested. While it is generally agreed that the par-three 8th is the winner a number of other holes, such as the 12th and 15th. are close contenders. At 148m the 8th is. at face value, an easy hole That at is until you take into account the fact the large green is surrounded by water, its surface slopes dramatically from back to front, a bunker right awaits any stray shot and a crosswind comes into play more often than not. According to general manager Meyer du Toit. it is an incredibly challenging hole that, despite its length, should not be underestimated It is also located in a corner of the course where a number of large trees…

Western Province, who last won the South African Women’s Inter-Provincial Championship in 2017, celebrated a return to the winner’s circle with an unbeaten campaign at Rondebosch Golf Club. The home side claimed a nine-stroke victory in the seeding round, ahead of Gauteng, defending champions Ekurhuleni and Gauteng North. On day one, Province gave Gauteng North an 8-1 drubbing and the hosts secured two more log points when they edged Ekurhuleni 5-4 on day two. ‘We were in a strong position as the only unbeaten team, but Ekurhuleni and Gauteng were both still in it, so we took nothing for granted,’ said the team’s captain, Vicki Traut, before their final-round clash with Gauteng. The Lions got off to a fast start, taking a 2-1 lead with two wins in the morning…

Eastern Province will make a return to the A Section of the SA Inter-Provincial Tournament for the first time in seven years after the young team romped to victory in the B Section at San Lameer Country Club. Captain Altin van der Merwe led from the front and scored a perfect 10 points to win the Most Valuable Player honours. The Eastern Province team included four rookies and ended the week with a perfect record of five wins from five amid rain and wind on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. ‘It’s the youngest IPT we have ever assembled, with five up-and-coming youngsters, four of who were rookies,’ said team manager Sieg Human. ‘We were confident, though, that we had a good chance of winning coming to San Lameer because we had…

The past month has been busy in the United States. After having three weeks off to recharge the batteries after the European swing I restarted at the Cambria Portland Classic, in Oregon. I was looking forward to returning to this tournament as I have fond memories from last year where I was beaten in a playoff. Unfortunately, we didn’t return to the same course but the area is always good to visit Oregon Golf Club was the new venue, and it is very hilly. The course wasn’t in the best condition but the greens were pure and quick which is the way I love them The event was reduced to 54 holes after we had bad weather on the Saturday I had a good finish on the Sunday and ended…

The Windhoek 5 Star National Pairs reached its first regional playoff, at the incredible St Francis Links, which was recently revealed as host of the SA PGA Championship. As we reach the business end of the series, the excitement among those who have qualified has started bubbling over. Jeff Clause, CEO at St Francis Links, and his team were incredible and all competitors were treated like royalty. From an organiser’s perspective, we at Compleat Golfer have been very pleased to see how the clubs around the country have reacted to the series. The opportunities a series like this provides for the weekend golfer in the country make this event one that will grow and provide more golfers with the chance to compete at regional and national level. It has been…

3 South African Open, various venues As a professional golfer, there is nothing like coming home. After travelling the globe for months at a time, being able to have a braai and watch some cricket is a just reward for a long year’s hard work. But... the work is not done yet. For the past few years, as is the case this year, the last couple of months have featured a few European Tour co-sanctioned events before everyone heads away for Christmas. There have been some amazing events over the years for me, but there is one that will always stands above the rest _ the South African Open. Your national Open will always have more significance and prestige. The SA Open is no different. I have had the privilege…

● Dustin Johnson became the fifth Ryder Cup player to go 5-0-0. ● It’s the first time the US has won two consecutive times at home since 1983. ● The six American rookies combined for a record of 14r-4-3, including three who want undefeated – Collin Morikawa (3-0-1), Patrick Cantlay (3-0-1) and Scottie Scheffler (2-0-1). ● Nine of the 12 Americans had winning records. Those who didn’t Jordan Spieth (1-2-1), Harris English (1-2-0) and Tony Finau (1-2-0). ● The 19-9 win was the largest margin of victory in the modem history of the event It’s the third Ryder Cup win for the Americans this century (3-7) and the second in as many tries on home soil. ● For the first time in modem history the Americans went through a Ryder…

Justin Thomas: ‘I don’t really agree with it. I think it’s... I don’t know. I feel like there’s a lot of other things, like the arm-bar putter, that they should be approaching as opposed to the length of the driver. I think the fact you see only a few people using a long driver speaks for itself, that it’s not really that big of an advantage, It’s a lot harder to hit it straight Do I think it makes the game of golf and growing the game better? No. If there are guys out there who want to have a chance to put it in play with a 47-, 48-inch driver, power to them. I had that opportunity, I just chose not to.’ Kevin Kisner: ‘I don’t know what they’re…

Headspace for Rent Many moons ago. shortly before Ernie Els was about to turn professional, I asked the editor of the Pretoria News if I could go into the storeroom and take a cap for the 19-year-old to wear as it would be ‘good publicity’ for the newspaper’s brand. The reply was a colourfully phrased no’ Apparently, caps were for sissies. Ernie turned pro in 1989 and didn’t wear a cap when he played After all. he hadn’t worn one all through his glittering amateur career, when he often came up against fellow future Major champion Retief Goosen, who also didn’t wear any headgear. Even at his first Major, the 1389 Open Championship. Ernie was capless as the talk was about the ‘blond big-hitter from Johannesburg’. When you think about…

Eastern Province won the B Division of the SA Women’s IPT, winning promotion to the A Division next year. Neighbours Border seemed certain to win, having claimed the top spot with an eight-stroke victory in the seeding round and beating Eastern Province and North West 4-2 in the first two rounds. Border headed into the final round with a two-point lead, but Eastern Province were far from beaten. We knew the match between Border and Free State would tie tight, so we took the fight to North West,’ said the team’s captain Janine van der Merwe. Van der Merwe and Heather Kruger went out first in the foursomes, but before they could win their game 3 & 2, youngsters Mieke de Ridder and Zahn Scholtz collected the side’s first points…

In October the golfing world sadly lost another of its modern-day poets, in Renton Laidlaw – after the passing of Peter Alliss just a few months ago. For the most part, even the greatest sport commentators live a life of anonymity as they are often heard, but rarely ever seen. Commentary is a true art form, which is often reserved only for a sport’s most devoted and eloquent aficionados. The most recent spine-tingling example of this was Peter Drury’s reintroduction of Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United’s Theatre of Dreams’: ‘Wreathed in red. restored to this great gallery of the game, a walking work of art. Vintage beyond valuation beyond forgery or imitation. 18 years since that trembling teenager of touch and tease first tip-toed on to this stoned stage. Now…

4. Jim Furyk – $71 479 894 It’s hard to believe that Jim Furyk occupies fourth spot in the all-time moneylist on the PGA Tour. The 51-year-old won 17 times on the Tour, including the 2003 US Open, but it has been his consistency that has seen him accumulate over $71-million (a little over R1-billion) in a 30-year career. Furyk notched up 188 top-10s, including a remarkable 31 runner-up and 17 third-place finishes on the PGA Tour alone. The American’s finest season was 2010, when he won three times on Tour, amassing a cool $5-million and pocketing a further bonus of $10-million for winning the FedExCup. Oh, and there’s also the little matter of shooting 58 in the final round of the 2016 Travelers Championship – the lowest round in…

When you’re the 12 the highest American on the World Ranking and you’re the 18th-best golfer in the world, and you’re not part of the 43rd Ryder Cup, it must rankle. Also to mention, being the No 2-ranked player on the Race to Dubai Order of Merit, the meat in a Collin Morikawa-Jon Rahm sandwich. To call Billy Horschel unlucky to not be part of the United States’ roaring success at Whistling Straits in late September is an understatement. He certainly looked to be the forgotten man in all the fun and fanfare that accompanied the American victory, a resounding 19-9 defeat of a thoroughly dominated European team. Below him in the World Ranking in September were Tyrrell Hatton, Paul Casey, Matt Fitzpatrick, Lee Westwood, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Sergio…

Bryson DeChambeau certainly has been making a noise in the world of golf over the past few years. Having spent a few weeks out on the PGA Tour recently, I got a closer look at what he is up to. He has no problem thinking outside the box. When he was 17, DeChambeau fashioned his own set of single-length irons. They were all the length of a traditional 6-iron and he’s been playing same-length irons ever since. Of course he has also fashioned a swing to work with those irons: he stands and swings much more upright and he uses a single-plane swing. His irons are equipped with fat grips and he holds those grips more in the palm than in the fingers. The clubheads are all identical weights; the…

South Africans selecting a location for their next golf tour are spoilt for choice. Gauteng has well over a dozen courses to choose from, while KwaZulu-Natal – from the North Coast to the South and even those further inland – has a great variety of layouts. Cape Town and the Winelands area have a spectacular array of courses. And then you get to what many consider the ultimate golf tour destination: the Garden Route. Saturated with amazing courses, your tour could last an entire week and you will not have played all of those in the area. No doubt Fancourt, with its three Gary Player designs, comes to mind, while the cliffs of Pinnacle Point always enter the conversation. The high-lying courses in Knysna, Pezula and Simola, are an absolute…

Sponsorship for a top professional’s hat – $250 000 to $500 000 annually. The front of the hat is the No 1 real estate. On the high end, this deal generally includes other inventory – bag and equipment. If you’re a top-30 player, you’re definitely making seven figures on this. For a top-10 guy, you’re looking north of $3-million and getting close to eight figures for the most marketable players in the world. For this deal, a player will be obligated to, on average, commit to giving a company three to four appearance/promotional days per year.’ – golf.com…

Jack Cubitt signed off his junior career with a second national tournament and second Golf RSA tournament of the year win when he held off SA No 1-ranked amateur Christiaan Maas and Nico Booysens by two shots to claim the Tshwane Junior Open at Silver Lakes Country Club. The youngster from KwaZulu-Natal looked to have the victory sewn up, but two double-bogeys on the back nine opened the door for his competitors. ‘I was a bit nervous coming down the stretch because I had built up a five-shot lead with nine to play and before I knew it, the lead was down to one, with three holes to play,’ Cubitt said. By the time he reached the final hole, Cubitt was in a tight tussle. What the 18-year-old didn’t know…

PICK OF THE MONTH DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES, DUBAI 18-21 NOVEMBER 2020 revisited: Englishman Lee Westwood was crowned Europe’s No 1 golfer for the third time in his career with a second-place finish behind compatriot Matthew Fitzpatrick at the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship. Westwood won the Harry Vardon Trophy again 20 years after he first lifted it, with a steady final-round 68 at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai to go 14 under for the tournament and finish one stroke behind Fitzpatrick, who took home $3-million for his victory. Westwood won $2-million for finishing at the top of the Race to Dubai leaderboard, while overnight co-leader Patrick Reed lost the chance to become the first American to claim the honour as he ended tied in…

US Open champion Retief Goosen became the first South African since 1975 to capture the Order of Merit, clinching the European Tour No 1 spot by winning the Telefonica Open de Madrid in a playoff over England’s Steve Webster. Goosen’s closest competitor for the Order of Merit was Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland. But with the victory in Spain. Goosen won 2 801 351 euro (approximately $2.5-million for the year) Clarkes sixth-place tie in Madrid put him at 1 850 697 euro (approximately $1.65m). 'Darren left me with no option but to play this week after he entered, and it’s nice to win this tournament and pull off the Volvo Order of Merit for the first time.’ Goosen said. It’s a great feeling, especially with so many great names on…

DAY ONE: THE K CLUB The K Club is a 30-minute drive from Dublin, taking you out of the city and into the pastoral sweep of Kildare, the county that inspires the club’s name. But once you’re through the impressive entrance, sedate green countryside gives way to the stately grandeur of one of Europe’s most iconic golf courses. It’s home to two courses, Palmer North and Palmer South, but the south sits in the formidable shadow of the north course, host to assorted European Tour events, and most famously, the 2006 Ryder Cup. A quick history lesson, for those who can’t quite recall how the contest played out 15 years ago: captained by Ian Woosnam and inspired by Darren Clarke, a wildcard inclusion only three weeks after losing his wife…

By the time you read this, the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits will be done and dusted. It has become the most eagerly awaited event in golf, but I am old enough to remember a time when it was just an annual exhibition of American superiority. People like to believe that the tied match in 1969, when lack Nicklaus conceded Tony jacklin’s short putt on the last, was the big breakthrough, but in fact it was an anomaly. It would be another 16 years before the US team lost and by then they were no longer facing a British team, but a European one. Another fact people conveniently forget is that opening up the team to include players from continental Europe was far from being an instant gamechanger. It was…