A couple of weeks ago, the South African golfer, Oliver Bekker, claimed his second victory on the HotelPlanner Tour, which is now the name for the circuit one rung below the DP World Tour in Europe. (Or, more accurately, all over the globe.) His triumph was sealed with a closing round of 67 on the final day of the Jonsson Workwear Durban Open at the Durban Country Club on the KwaZulu-Natal coast of South Africa. I think there is a strong chance you were not aware of this. There is likely an even stronger one that you are wondering why I am telling you about it.
I watch quite a lot of tournament golf on TV and would never consider giving up my Sky Sports subscription. But for sure it’s a lot less than it used to be. The major championships and the Ryder Cup are, of course, unmissable. Everything else less so. These days, less so than used to be the case. But one factor will definitely make me more inclined to watch. Everyone talks about the quality of the field and ‘what a great leaderboard’. And I am into that. But for me there is also the quality of the course. Which takes us back to the unglamorously named Workwear Open.
I played at Durban Country Club about 40 years go. It is a wonderful golf course. I remember it (pretty well) and as it’s put in the World Atlas of Golf, the 3rd hole, a sinuous par-five played through a valley from an elevated tee, “is everybody’s favourite”. I’m not going to argue with that but it is by no means the only candidate. The par-three 12th is played to a treacherously plateaued green with dramatic fall-offs on either side; the tee shot might be accompanied by you being pelted with nuts by monkeys congregating in the trees. The par-four 17th has St Andrews-like undulations in the fairway while the 18th is a driveable par-four (albeit not for me) on which the penalty for a wayward drive is an almost guaranteed double-bogey. All considered, it rather infuriated me that the TV highlights of the event only ran for 30 minutes.
The Walker Cup was at Cypress Point last year; the Presidents Cup was at Royal Melbourne a few years ago. They are both superior courses to Durban CC; I watch them both back sometimes while writing. This is not particularly with a view to engaging in inspiration but as a renewable reminder of one of the most glorious aspects of the game we all enjoy so much – the beauty of golf and the arenas in which it takes place.
Anyhow, this week the PGA Tour is at Bay Hill. The field is a strong one and I like the course, in part not least because aeons ago I was fortunate enough to know someone who managed to get me on it. So, yes, on Sunday evening I will be watching this one.