Dylan Naidoo, winner of the 114th Investec South African Open. Naidoo's rise from one of the best junior golfers in the country to winning the South African Open is a story of grit, sacrifice, and perseverance, says the writer.
Image: Myron Naicker/Supplied
Myron Naicker
Dylan Naidoo was just four years old when he picked up a golf club. His rise from one of the best junior golfers in the country to the South African Open Champion is a story of grit, sacrifice, and perseverance.
On Sunday, 2 March, the 27-year-old created a piece of sporting history. A moment which heralds generational progress and embodies the fighting spirit of South Africans.
I first got in touch with Dylan back in 2014. He had just won a South African junior title and was on his way to an international event in the USA. I recall vividly his tenacious mindset then and knew this youngster was destined for great things.
Naidoo arrived in Durban ahead of the Investec SA Open on the back of a second-place finish at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open at Mont Choisy Le Golf in December. This would be my first chance to see him play live, and it was a moment I would not pass by.
This is my recollection from a history-altering week in South African sport. As Naidoo walked down the hallowed 18th hole at Durban Country Club, time stood still for everyone around him.
After 54 holes and a cancelled final round, Naidoo was thrust into a play-off alongside England’s Laurie Canter for the biggest prize in South African golf.
This was his moment; this was his destiny.
Naturally, emotions ran high as the spectators who braved the torrential rain held their breath.
Naidoo’s drive off the tee had landed him just off the green, and a crafty second shot was needed if he was to get the better of Canter.
Then the rain began to fall again. Undeterred, Naidoo pulled off a delightful pitched second shot to land a foot outside the pin.
History beckoned. Never before had a player of colour won this century-old tournament.
“That bump and run was a Papwa shot,” one spectator whispered to me.
“Can you believe this is happening?” he asked with tears in his eyes.
Not the crashing of the waves from the nearby ocean nor the busy highway could be heard anymore. Utter silence.
Naidoo buckled up and sank his third shot for birdie to win the second oldest national golf open in dramatic style, with the crowd roaring on.
Canter was excellent, but it seemed that the universe would not allow anyone to get in Naidoo’s way that afternoon.
Sewsunker ‘Papwa’ Sewgolum created golfing history by beating Gary Player to win the 1965 Natal Open at the Durban Country Club. He was forced to receive his trophy in the rain because he was not allowed in the clubhouse due to draconian apartheid laws at the time.
Image: Independent Media Archives
This was the same course where Sewsunker ‘Papwa’ Sewgolum created golfing history by beating Gary Player to win the 1965 Natal Open. Where he was forced to receive his trophy in the rain because he was not allowed in the clubhouse due to the apartheid laws of the country.
Papwa’s fight and sacrifice showed what was possible amidst draconian times.
It did not feel like a coincidence at all that a player who graduated from the Papwa Sewgolum Class, a transformation programme of the Sunshine Tour, would go on to become the first player of colour to win the SA Open. “This feels like a fairy tale. To have this SA Open trophy is unbelievable,” Naidoo said.
“For what this means in terms of Papwa Sewgolum and him having won the Natal Open here, it’s incredible. I feel like he was with me here today.” Naidoo was born and raised in Johannesburg, with his parents, Nalini and Neil, playing a pivotal role in his development as a junior golfer.
He was just four years old when he picked up a golf club. His dad’s drive would ignite a spark which would ultimately propel him onto the world stage.
His journey to the SA Open title was a long and winding one, filled with hard work, joy as a junior, and, at times, a feeling of doubt as a professional.
In 2014, Naidoo won the Nomads SA Under-17 title to qualify for the Callaway Junior World Golf Championships.
In the same year, he helped Central Gauteng win the Challenge Cup Teams Tournament and was part of the TuksSport High School team which won the SA High School Championship in Bloemfontein.
He was just 16 at the time, but young Dylan already understood the value of hard work and persistence.
“I feel like I am on the right track to turn pro in the future, and it is an honour to have won a tournament that current top pros in South Africa have won,” Naidoo said to me at the time for a piece I was working on for the Sunday Tribune.
A year later, Naidoo held his own at his first professional tournament. He finished on 3 under par at the Joburg Open staged at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington, and although he missed the cut, the youngster’s talent and ability were clear to see at the European Tour-sanctioned event.
A young Dylan Naidoo at work in the practice range. His journey to the SA Open title was a long and winding one, filled with hard work, joy as a junior, and, at times, a feeling of doubt as a professional, says the writer.
Image: Myron Naicker/Supplied
His maiden victory at a professional competition came in 2016 when he became the first amateur and youngest winner of a Sunshine Big Easy Tour event, lifting the Big Easy Observatory title with a two-stroke victory. The 18-year-old upstaged a field of 109 professionals with rounds of 64 and 69 to triumph on 11 under par.
Naidoo shot a first-round 70 and was seven shots off the leader, Darren Fichardt. By Friday morning, he was steadily climbing up the leaderboard. I managed to get his group late on Friday afternoon when things began to sizzle for him.
On the par-five 8th, Naidoo’s second shot was a thing of beauty. After careful consultation with his caddie, Shannon Naidoo, he pulled out his trusty hybrid, striking it purely from 220m away from the pin. The uphill strike landed a foot away from the flag to set up a tantalising eagle opportunity. He would slot that one in to take the outright lead at the time. Things were beginning to happen. He signed for a second-round 61, which included 10 birdies and that magical eagle.
“I believe that I have enough to compete. My tools are enough, you know. I don’t need to be someone outside of myself,” Naidoo said.
He began the third round one shot off the leader, Shaun Norris. Rain through the night had made conditions difficult, and then swirling wind from the coast added a new dimension to the complexity of the grand old lady.
But Naidoo dug deep, navigating through his round with composure and a sense of calmness despite the hordes of spectators who followed him through the day. On the 18th, he got into a bit of trouble right off the green after his drive landed in a pot plant nestled against the grandstand. After searching profusely for it, he found his ball before playing an awkward chip onto the green. It was a magnificent shot to get out of trouble, and when he emerged from the bottom of the hill, he smiled from ear to ear. Something special was brewing.
He carded a one-under-par 71 for a share of the lead at 14 under, heading into the final round.
“I felt like Tiger Woods out there. It was outrageous. I had crowds that were five deep following me. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. It was just like an overflow of emotion. I’m ready for everything the final round has in store,” Naidoo said.
That final round would never happen, though, as torrential rain wrecked the newly renovated course. Despite the best efforts from ground staff, the rain lashed the course, making it unplayable. Attention then turned to cleaning up the 18th for a shootout between the leaders.
Naidoo posed for pictures with his trophy on the fairway of the 18th, soaking it all up as photographers snapped away.
Rain, which symbolised trauma and survival from decades past, was back again, but this time it carried an omen of hope.
His smiling dad hugged and kissed him. The years of hard work had paid off.
On a day when his father had flown in to watch a final round that didn’t happen, then left for the airport to fly back home for work on Monday, then raced back from the airport to watch the play-off and see his son step into golf history.
“Me and my dad have been through it all, and I couldn’t think of someone more special to share this with. It’s just been the best day ever. I mean, I’m on the DP World Tour. That’s outrageous. I’m going to be playing around the world against some of the best players in the world. And I’m playing in The Open. It’s a dream,” he said.
I arrived home from the course feeling all sorts of emotions. I had just witnessed a piece of history barely a few kilometres away from home.
As I walked into the house, my six-year-old son screamed, “Dylan Naidoo, what a champion!”
That is what sporting heroes do.
Naidoo stood on the shoulders of giants and inspires the next generation with grace and a smile that will live on forever in the annals of South African sporting history.
* Myron Naicker is an award-winning South African sports journalist. He is a multi-faceted storyteller with extensive work in television, radio and print journalism.
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.
