Ken Borland

Danie van Tonder has already won five times on the Sunshine Tour so he may not fall into the category of “rising star” in the classical sense, but the 29-year-old has lately been playing with the sort of consistency and maturity that suggests he could well be the next big South African golf export.

The winner of the African Bank Championship at Glendower Golf Club at the end of last month has finished in the top-10 of his last eight consecutive events on the Sunshine Tour and is currently in third place on the order of merit for the Rise Up Series that marked the return of professional golf. The last two events, at the ERPM Golf Club from September 23 and then the finale at Huddle Park the following week, will undoubtedly see him push for the title, and his eagerness to maintain the momentum he is currently enjoying was illustrated by his participation in the Big Easy IGT Tour’s event at Copperleaf this week. Of course Van Tonder notched another top-10 finish, claiming third place, just one stroke off making the playoff for the title.

What marks Van Tonder out as being different to so many other golf pros is his willingness to try different things; the mainstream is not necessarily the way for him. From the unorthodoxies of his swing to his diet to the fact that his wife has been on his bag for most of his career, the former number one amateur is his own man.

He says the consistency he is now enjoying is mostly down to the patience he has shown in just plugging away through a career that has seen some meteoric rises and some periods in the doldrums.

“I’ve always felt consistent about my game, I’m almost 30 now though, I’m a bit older and everything takes time. Being my own coach, a self-taught golfer with my wife helping me, I guess I am my own person and I have never been scared to try something new. Even if it works, I’ve never been scared to think outside the box. I’m not the cleverest cookie, but I would say I am smart.

“But that being said, my swing [which is remarkably stiff-armed] is still the same, to me it’s just back-and-through. It feels simple and I like to keep it as simple as possible because then there’s not much space for error. I’m not so focused on the technical side, I’m more of a feel player. I’ve always been good with my irons, I stick to the same set of Titleist 716 CBs for a while, it’s something I can work with without worrying about between all the gym and travel. But in the last four years it is my putting that has shown the most improvement,” the Sunshine Tour’s order of merit runner-up in both 2014 and last season says.

Europe surely beckons for Van Tonder, who last played regularly on that tour in 2015, finishing 145^th in the Race to Dubai to miss out on regaining his card. But with two top-10 finishes in co-sanctioned events in South Africa, as well as another three in Challenge Tour tournaments here, winning his card back on home soil is a strong possibility.

In February, at the Cape Town Open at Royal Cape GC, Van Tonder went into the final round leading by two strokes after rounds of 66 67 and 69, but he then faded into a tie for seventh with a 78.

But he believes there’s no need to try and be a superhero about it, a return to Europe will come when the time is right.

“Playing in Europe has always been the goal, but it’s been very hard to get over there with Covid, there are so many new rules. Plus you have to live in a bubble and not leave your hotel room. Next year things should be a bit better and I will just try and get more chances to play over there. Winning our order of merit will get me a few invites as well.

“But I just need to play more European Tour events, it’s no good just having four days to try and win your card, that’s very hit-and-miss, you need about 10 starts and then if you are consistent you get places on the order of merit. And my eight top-10s in a row show I can be consistent. It’s just a question of time, I feel,” Van Tonder says.

What is not in question is his hunger and work ethic; the Sasolburg-born golfer says he spends most of his ‘spare’ time with clubs either in his hands or very much on his mind.

“I like to practise a lot, when I’m lying on the couch I tend to think about practice. You do need to chill sometimes to take your mind off golf, and we do go to Durban to visit family. “But my wife Abigail and I are always together, 24/7, and I love it. She’s been on my bag for the last 7-8 years and she played when she was younger so it’s nice to have her as my caddy. She’s clever when it comes to golf and if I hit a few bad shots then she will ask me to ‘do this or do that’, things I don’t think about. She understands everything about the game,” Van Tonder says.