In the latest in our series of player blogs, Jaco Van Zyl talks about representing South Africa at the Olympic Games, his enjoyment of life on the European Tour, the young talent his native country is producing and his love of aviation.
Rio was unbelievable. To be a part of it was phenomenal. It’s not just golf, though, there was a much bigger picture. You get to experience the other athletes and see how they go about their sport and the preparation that goes into it. It was so good.
The majority of the time was spent with the other South Africans. We were finished with our golf at about two o’clock in the afternoon, so the clubs went in the bag storage and off to the village we went.
The physio unit in our block of apartments was basically our little get-together room. It was really nice to meet up with other athletes, like the swimmers, and just chat about how their days were and vice versa.
Obviously, we were there for our event and trying to do our bit for the country. You prepare as well as you can and try as hard as you can on the golf course. Although you’ve got the Major atmosphere there, it’s not just about golf. Golf was just part of the puzzle.
I only really started playing out here about six years ago. It’s taken a while for me to find my feet. It’s very hard for South Africans to travel, because we’ve got our traditions and cultures and South Africa is a long way from everything. But we’re very sociable people. Once you get over that hurdle, we mix in quite easily.
I spend quite a bit of time with the other South African guys.Wandering around the golf course you spend quite a bit of time together. Last night we went out with Chris Paisley and his wife, so it’s not just the South African boys. One of the things I love about the European Tour is that it’s a very sociable environment.
We’re a very competitive nation. South Africa has produced some really good golfers over the last few years, like Charl Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace. Those guys are playing at the highest level.
We’ve got Brandon Stone coming through and he’s a phenomenal player. Haydn Porteous won the Joburg Open back home and I think we can expect a lot of good things from Zander Lombard, too. He’s another phenomenal young player. A lot of the players out here this week are from South Africa, so it almost feels like a home event!
My passion is flying. I’ve got an autogyro, which is a combination of a helicopter and an aeroplane. Whenever I’ve got a free minute, I’m in it.
I go and explore and maybe spend a weekend at a game reserve. I try to do a couple of weeks on and a couple of weeks off. I’m still based in South Africa and I love going home to see friends and spend some time with the family.
