Pierre Kotze – one of the up-and-coming talents in South African disabled golf – is targeting a top-10 finish at the Cape Town Disabled Open hosted by the City of Cape Town, writes Craig Stirton.
From birth, the muscles in Kotze’s left arm did not fully develop. Nevertheless the 17-year-old didn’t let his disability stop him from participating in sports such as rugby and cricket.
“It did not really have an impact on my ability to play sports, because I love sports I was always driven to play and compete,” says Kotze.
Since taking up golf last year, the Villiersdorp resident has demonstrated a fantastic talent for the game. He recently won the C Division of the Theewaterskloof Golf Club Championship after carding a medal round of 89. Yet, even in victory, Kotze exuded humility and voiced his desire to continue improving. “I still have a lot to work on but I’m improving with each round and I’m learning a lot about myself and my abilities,” he said.
“I was surprised to have won my division.”
At the time of writing, Kotze’s handicap index stands at 17.1. Such improvement can be attributed to two factors: he has been working hard to develop his game with the help of PGA professional James Wade. Sadga is grateful to James and the Boland Golf Union for the tremendous support they continue to lend Kotze in his golf journey.
Secondly, Kotze also seems to have the ability to make minor but crucial tweaks to his game from one round to the next, which is very impressive.
This was certainly evident at the Canon Kwazulu-Natal Disabled Open. After an opening round of 99, Kotze improved in the second by a staggering 10 shots. He attributed the improvement to a slight adjustment in mindset and the tempo of his swing.
“I was calmer over the ball with each shot. I focused on slowing down my swing a bit,” he explained.
Following a 19th-place finish at Mount Edgecombe in the Canon Open series curtain-raiser, Kotze has been working hard to tighten up his short game ahead of the Cape Town Disabled Open.
The Open is hosted by the City of Cape Town, the second event on the Canon Open series schedule.
Much like his understanding of his golf game, Kotze is clear in his mind about the result he’s after.
“I’m hoping for a top 10.”
If the youngster can open the event with a solid round and finish strong, he may just achieve it.
Photo: Supplied
