Wilco Nienaber from South Africa plays his 13th hole tee on the fourth day of the Dimension Data Pro-Am at the Fancourt Golf Estate on May 9, 2021 in George. (Photo: Luke Walker / Getty Images) / Garrick Higgo from South Africa poses with the trophy after winning the Canary Islands Championship on May 9, 2021 on the Gulf of Costa Adeje in Tenerife, Spain. (Photo: Andrew Redington / Getty Images)
When 42-year-old Ernie Els won his second Open Championship in 2012, it was a fourth major for South Africa’s elite men in five seasons. For such a small golf country compared to the US, UK and emerging economies from Asia, that was a remarkable achievement.
Trevor Immelman had won the Masters in 2008 at the age of 28, and Louis Oosthuizen was also 28 years old when he was destroyed the field on the way to the 2010 Open Championship in St. Andrews. And the following year, then 26-year-old Charl Schwartzel screwed the last four holes in Augusta to win the 2011 Masters.
Els added to his US Open and 2002 Open titles in 1994 and 1997 with his fourth major in 2012 when he won the Claret Jug at Royal Lytham & St. Annes after starting the final round six strokes behind Adam Scott. The two US Open of Retief Goosen in 2001 and 2004 and South Africa were at the highest level well above their weight.
But instead of winning more majors, a serious wrist injury ended Immelman’s career as a golf heavyweight almost as soon as he did that Masters had conquered. Schwartzel also has a wrist injury and Oosthuizen has constant back problems.
Oosthuizen has lost two playoffs for majors – the Masters 2012 and the Open Championship 2015 – and was also runner-up in the PGA Championship (2017) and the US Open (2015) . He continues to be a regular top 10 finisher on the US PGA Tour and has become one of the game’s most consistent players, but not one of its winners. Schwartzel has made a good return this season too, but they are now in their mid-30s and late 30s.
After a nine-year drought in the SA, thirsts are unlikely to be quenched in 2021. However, if we turn the clock forward a few years, the names Garrick Higgo and Wilco Nienaber will almost certainly be at the top of the top leaderboards.
Both are 21 and both have the raw material to become golf superstars and that To pick up the coat from Oosthuizen and Schwartzel.
Higgo won the Canary Islands Championship last weekend for his second European Tour victory in three weeks and his third overall victory.
It came just 14 days after Higgo won the Gran Canaria won the Lopesan Open on the European Tour with a record low of 255.
Given that he has only made 26 starts on the European Tour, three wins are an amazing return. Oosthuizen has been a member of the European Tour for 19 years, has played 306 tournaments and won nine events.
Schwartzel has been on the European Tour for 19 years since he received his card in 2002. He has played 325 events and scored 11 wins. It highlights how hard it is to win and how special Higgo’s game has been over the past 12 months.
What made Higgo’s achievements more noticeable was the way he dominated and hit the field. In the 12 rounds of Canary Islands Swing, Higgo’s total was 68 below face value when he dropped records.
By winning three of his first 26 events on the European Tour, Higgo Tiger Woods joins the fewest events , which are required to claim three victories on the European / PGA Tour since 1990.
Left-handed Higgo will make his grand debut this week at the PGA Championship on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, where his latest results and his obvious talent will be thoroughly tested.
It was the first time since 2012 that it had won another South African, Dean Burmester, at the Tenerife Open, pinched by Higgos two wins in the Spanish islands were three consecutive SA winners on the European Tour. And it was the first time this was done outside of SA.
It has been a remarkable run for SA Golf lately, and Brandon Stone, JC Ritchie and Nienaber also have three straight wins for SA at the European Challenge Tour achieved.
Higgo moved up to fifth place in the Race to Dubai Ranking and reached 51st place in the official golf world rankings for the first time.
« I worked really hard, a lot of little things, and I also accepted what worked for me and stuck with it, « said Higgo. « I’m just going to try to keep going.
» I think I can go as high as I want. The way I play I can do a lot of good things. «
At both tournaments he’s on won the Canary Islands, he led to the finals. While this is a dream scenario, it also comes with pressure as the title of guide is to lose.
A little talk by Gary Player, SA’s most successful golfer, helped Higgo before hitting the Gran Canaria Lopesan Open won (the first of his two over the final stroke).
« I spoke to Gary (the night before the finals) and he just said there was no lead and you should play as if there were You two behind, « said Higgo before shooting a final round of 63 on par. 70 Meloneras Golf Layout.
Back in South Africa, Nienaber, who drives almost 300 meters on average, has shown that when it comes to winning tournaments, it’s not just about length, but also about a decent short game.
Nienaber won the 2021 Dimension Data Pro-Am in Fancourt in George for his first win on the Sunshine Tour. The tournament also had the status of a European Challenge Tour and was later admitted to larger events in 2021. Most of all, he won, which is an incredible mental boost, especially for someone who was an amateur star.
Nienaber’s first professional win required a three-hole playoff win against Swede Henric Sturehed after both of them after 72 holes ended on par 19.
Nienaber’s performances are more modest than Higgo’s, but insiders at the game say the young South African will thrive on length as he gains experience.
Golf courses tend to have longer players to be preferred as the organizers use the length against today’s power hitters. As long as Nienaber hits the ball accurately and for a long time, it becomes a very dangerous competitor in bigger events.
« I’m so excited and very emotional. It’s a lot of hard work that I’ve put in to achieve this victory « , Said a tearful Nienaber after this victory. He struggled to survive his victory speech as he tried to explain the feeling that he couldn’t have his family out on the golf course to celebrate with him.
» Me am a very family oriented guy. We have a very close relationship with our family. Much of it is thanks to them that I was able to win today. It’s crazy how much they supported me, ”he said. DM168
This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available for free to Pick n Pay Smart Shoppers in these Pick n Pay stores.
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