‘You’ve got to keep telling yourself that it’s better than working behind a desk,’ Haydn Porteous explained on Wednesday at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club, where he’ll defend the Joburg Open title from Thursday.
‘I’ve been playing this game almost for 20 years now. You overthink, instead of going out there and playing the sport that you grew up loving,’ he said. ‘To get less technical and start enjoying the game again, is what I need right now. Enjoy it and smile.’
At Royal Johannesburg & Kensington in 2016 he shot rounds of 66, 66, 68, 69 to win by two strokes over Zander Lombard despite missing two cuts in the build up to the weekend.
Porteous broke on to the European Tour with the victory, which included full playing rights for two seasons. He’s back at the scene of his victory after 12 months touring the globe, which included 20 cuts missed and earnings of €400,609.
‘As a professional you can get too perfect, if that makes sense. I got a little bit too into the game and the golf swing, then I lost a bit of confidence. I knew that last year was going to be a difficult learning experience just to see what it was like to play in Europe,’ he explained.
Different grasses, strange weather and foreign languages all contribute to a tough step-up competing abroad, but Porteous is back on home soil this week. He’s been through good times in Johannesburg and wants to savour the experience as defending champion.
‘It’s a pretty special place to come back to,’ he said. ‘To drive in and have your own parking spot and all the good memories I have from last year, and of course through junior golf and amateur golf. It’s really nice to be in a familiar place and I hope it’s a good week.’
