He is currently the world No 54, the third-highest placed South African in the Official World Golf Ranking but Shaun Norris is only getting started.
The 37-year-old experienced a rollercoaster past 12 months that has shaped his character and desire to be as competitive as ever.
After a long and suffering battle, Norris’ dad passed away from colon and kidney cancer in the middle of last year, something that has been extremely difficult on him and his family.
Despite the overwhelming sadness that shadowed his family, he is as determined to fulfil his father’s wish of seeing him compete on golf’s biggest stages.
And that is exactly what Norris is busy with at the moment.
Currently competing at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, he is determined to have a big year on the European Tour.
‘Professional golf is so competitive now with so many good players out there, but I think the one thing that has seen me move up the rankings so much is that I’ve stopped trying to be a perfectionist all the time,’ said Norris, who finished in T6 at last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Instead of over-analysing, the man who hails from Johannesburg has begun to take things in his stride and keep his golf as simple as possible, something that he admits has been key to his rise over the last year.
‘I’ve found something that works for me, I feel comfortable and I’ve just gone on from there. It has been a long journey to get to this point, but the last four or five years have been really good for me.’
Norris got his European Tour card back in 2011 but after a season on the Tour he lost it again and for a few years uncertainty crept into his life about what the future holds for this talented golfer.
After spending some time on the Sunshine Tour, he was eventually encouraged to join the Asian Tour Q-School in order to get back into a position where he will be competing at a higher level once more.
He soon joined the Japan Golf Tour and, for the last four years, Norris has been going from strength to strength; a place which he believes has changed his life and golf for the better.
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‘It’s been a great experience. The venues are fantastic, the people are very friendly, and they don’t hold back! They try to make the courses as tough as possible, and by playing courses set up in that manner it’s really improved me as a golfer.’
His biggest inspiration and motivation, though, comes from his late father and having his brother back on the bag with him has helped him focus on his golf.
‘We’re having a lot of fun out there wherever we are, and we’re working on things that make me comfortable. Working on things that make me relaxed. Instead of standing out there and bashing 500 or 600 balls trying to create the perfect swing I’ve found something that works for me, under the gun, in pressure situations,’ Norris said.
Norris’ father passed the morning he was about to tee off at an event in Japan.
Remarkably he managed to finish to competition in the top 5, despite everything that was going on back home.
‘I was just going through the motions really, but to finish in the top five in that event was crazy. I spoke to him the night before he died and he told me, ‘never give up, it doesn’t matter what happens to me, keep going.’
But 2020 is a year where Norris wants to achieve new heights to climb to the pinnacle of his golfing career.
His encouraging start to the Race to Dubai and his eagerness to succeed means we will still hear a lot of him this year.
His commitment is unprecedented for someone that has gone through what he has gone through and the willingness to honour his father through his golf has already toughed many South Africans and golf fans around the world.
‘I’ll always play for dad from now on – he’ll always be in the back of my mind. I know he’s always looking over us from above and I want to keep improving for him. I’m now just outside of the top 50 in the world and the future is so exciting.’
