Vuyisani Makama says that, while turning professional has had its own challenges in the early stages of the season, he is beginning to find his feet among the elite in the professional ranks.
The 19-year-old Makama turned pro early in the year and has had a fair taste of the professional game, having started a number of events on both the Betway Big Easy Tour and the Sunshine Tour.
“Through the first six events, I think the main difference is the quality of the players; better players,” said Makama of his early observations of what professional competition feels like.
“There’s a lot more consistency here and that means a lot of hard work must be put in. For me the main thing has been trying to get comfortable because I was a little nervous in the first few events. I’ve had to adjust to a lot of things; travelling expenses and all. But it has been fun with a lot of lessons along the way.”
The Soweto-native player has played a few Betway Big Easy Tour events this season, with a bulk of his starts coming on Sunshine Tour.
“I have played two Big Easy events this season and a couple of the main Tour events, and I know I still have a lot of work to be done,” he said, while making an assessment of his campaign so far.
“The key, I think, is for me to keep learning and behaving more professionally on and off the golf course. Because there is a big difference between playing amateur golf and professional; in the open amateur events, a 10-over score will make the cut sometimes, whereas here, if you don’t have numbers in the negative, you’re going home.
“That’s why I kind of turned pro a little early so that I can have a bit of time to learn and settle and find my feet; and have time to learn from my mistakes.”
Makama will have another opportunity to test himself this week as he is in the 100-strong field of the 4th Betway Big Easy Tour event held at Glenvista Country Club this week.
“I have played this course once before, so I do remember some holes,” he noted ahead of his tee-off time. “My aim is to keep building confidence for myself, and develop myself, mentally. These events are important in that aspect.”
Regarding his short-term targets, Makama, like many others, aims to retain his Sunshine Tour status this season and build on from that when the next season begins. The Betway Big Easy Tour is the Sunshine Tour’s feeder circuit and enjoys the support of the legendary Ernie Els, among other patrons.