Life on the road is not for everyone, even when they believe it to be. After watching Dylan Frittelli win again on the DP World Tour, for the first time in six years, it reminded me of a story. The story led me to a belief: there is no single formula for success.
Years ago, long before he broke through in Europe and longer before he won the John Deere Classic, Dylan walked out of the Lanseria Airport terminal dragging his bags and came across a stranded Zimbo, looking for a ride to Leopard Creek.
It was the week of the Alfred Dunhill Championship and I often cringe when I think about how unbelievably disorganised (and dirt poor) I was, but lo and behold, that afternoon Dylan had one thing I didn’t – keys to a rental car.
The journey to Leopard Creek for the Dunhill was always different. The nerves jangled more than any other week on Tour. For me personally, the course always ‘lays down the gauntlet’ with some of the most truly intimidating tee shots we would hit throughout the season on Tour.
The tee shots on the 11th and 15th holes stand out as ‘hold your breath’ moments, whereby the slightest miss is penalised with reaching into the bag for a provisional ball (at best).
On the road to Leopard Creek, I felt like a layer of Dylan was peeled back.
In my opinion, he’s not out there to be the most loved and adored guy on Tour. A scroll through his Instagram will highlight that point. One thing I have always found about him though, is that he sticks to his belief system and does so with total conviction.
I also recall that we were paired together at Pearl Valley at the SA Open when Dylan was still an amateur, back in 2008 (or 2009). Greg Norman was in the field as a marquee legend of the game back then, while a shaggy-haired Rory McIlroy was playing in one of his first-ever starts as a pro. Who would have ever guessed those two would end up in a PR showdown 15 years later?
Watching Frittelli win again was not a surprise to me, nor would it have been to any other Sunshine Tour player who knows him. Calculated, risk averse, mechanically sound, a level head and a great short game. That’s a tournament-winning combination and he’s proven that exact formula since being the No 1-ranked amateur in the world, all those moons ago.
Something different always struck me about Dylan though, and I’m not 100% sure I should write this, but it’s something which has stayed with me for more than a dozen years since that car ride.
It’s a factor which I believe has led him to so much on-course success but in turn, possibly even more off-course success. I’m not close enough to him these days to know the level this ever happened or not, but his vision at the time revolved solely around driving his career earnings into a comprehensive property portfolio.
It was not the typical ‘pro golfer’ chat on the road to Leopard Creek by any means. Let alone when you’re seated next to a guy who is still thinking of how to keep the ball in play off the 15th tee on the Thursday afternoon.
Frittelli has never been an emotional player. He is one of the few players I have met who does not possess that undying love for the game. Yet he is quite comfortably the player who I respect most for the way he has mapped out his career and created a life for himself which most of us will only ever dream of achieving.
– This column first appeared in the March 2024 issue of Compleat Golfer magazine.
Photo: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
