Young guns Aldrich Potgieter (21), who won on the PGA Tour in America last year, Casey Jarvis (22) and Jayden Schaper (24) are just three examples of the extremely rich young talent in South African professional golf right now. And all three are in this week’s R20-million Joburg Open at Houghton, writes Grant Winter.
But spare a thought for a trio of players at the other end of the chronological scale – Darren Fichardt and Jean Hugo, who are both 50 years old, and Hennie Otto who turns 50 in June. These “old-timers” are also teeing up at Houghton and, what’s more, they remain competitive.
Otto, for instance, finished second in the Cape Town Open at Royal Cape just the other day, and Fichardt and Hugo have played some wonderful golf in the last couple of years in their very late 40s. All this is proof that old in golf doesn’t necessarily mean over the hill.
“Look, we 50-somethings can’t always match the young guys, who hit the ball miles, on a long course,” said Hugo on the practice putting green at Houghton Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s first round.
“But give us a shorter course, like Royal Cape, and windy conditions where feel and guile are keys to scoring well, and we can better keep up with the bombers.
“Houghton, though, is a long course. The young guns can fly the bunkers with their tee-shots whereas we can’t, so we’ll have to see what happens.”
Whatever transpires this week, it is undeniable that Fichardt, Hugo and Otto remain fiercely competitive and yes, these guys can still shoot the lights out and are definitely not ready to retire.
Much of the Joburg Open attention will be on Jarvis following his sensational golf in his last two starts, winning both the Kenyan Open and the South African Open. And the same goes for Schaper following his back-to-back victories this summer, as well as American star Patrick Reed who, like Jarvis, has won twice on the DP World Tour recently.
But don’t be too quick to dismiss three old veterans who may all be going just a touch grey now but who have 65 professional victories between them in top careers that each span 30-odd years, and are still swinging like champions.
Some key Joburg Open groupings in Thursday’s first round (SA unless stated):
10th tee 7.20am: Wilco Nienaber, Hennie du Plessis, Julien Guerrier (Fra); 7.30: Jayden Schaper, Patrick Reed (US), Andy Sullivan (Eng).
1st tee 12.30: Casey Jarvis, Callum Hill (Sco), Thriston Lawrence.