George Coetzee’s first golfing win came at Pretoria Country Club as a child, and now hopes to add a European Tour title at the same venue in this week’s Tshwane Open.
The Pretoria native, whose previous European Tour title came on home soil at the Joburg Open last year, is hoping to put his local knowledge to good use.
“To come to my home course is a great honour,” he said. “For the club to host it is great and it’s unbelievable for me. As a kid I played this course and imagined it being a British Open, but now there is no imagination – it’s the Tshwane Open.
“The club had an event called the Gary Player week and the kids get to play from Monday to Friday. On the Friday it’s a nine-hole competition for the ten and 11 year olds. It was my first week and I think I shot 49 on the Friday and won by two or three shots. I was hooked - I remember those days very well and I’ll try not to shoot 49, but I will try to win by two shots!
“There is a lot of risk and reward and on a lot of holes you can take it on. There are some advantages to knowing the course as well as I do, but it suits a certain type of golfer. Hopefully I make enough putts to make up for that.
“It’s nice to stay at home. I think I get to stay at home for more events than most Europeans - this one, the SA Open and the Joburg Open. It’s nice to go home and sleep in my own bed and to know the golf course as well as I do; hopefully it will play into my favour this week.”
Coetzee has made just four cuts in eight starts this season and is yet to record a top-ten finish, but believes he is closing in on the sort of consistency that will see him contending for titles again.
“I don’t know if I’m playing well or badly, I find out on Thursday morning on the tee,” he added. “I’ve been working hard on a bunch of things and every week it’s there for a while longer than it was the week before, so hopefully it will be there for four rounds.”
Coetzee’s compatriot Dawie van der Walt won the inaugural Tshwane Open at Copperleaf in 2013, and is hoping to complete a hat-trick of South African titles after adding the Nelson Mandela Championship in 2014.
“I have some good memories on this golf course and I played interprovincial here when I was 18 years old,” said van der Walt.
“I just need a couple of good rounds to get the confidence. If you play one or two good rounds then all of a sudden you feel like you’re playing well again. Things can change very quickly.”
