Father and son-in-law combination Andre le Roux and Riaan Hefer played their way to the Els for Autism finals after a superb day out at Houghton, writes WADE PRETORIUS.
As the Drive to Sun City moves into fifth gear, it was Andre le Roux and Riaan Hefer (right) who kept calm and collected their ticket to the main event after accumulating 47 points.
‘I suppose it was an honest field,’ Hefer says with a laugh. ‘I certainly wasn’t expecting our score to be enough. We played well, considering it was quite windy, and when they announced Andre and myself as winners, we were delighted. I expected the scoring to be a little better.’
But this wasn’t a case of beginner’s luck as the duo have been regular supporters of the golf day for a number of years and have not been shy of stating their goals.
‘Of course we went out there to win,’ Le Roux, who plays off a nine, tells Compleat Golfer.
‘We have a good thing going and combine nicely.’ Ask who the captain of the ship is and you’ll get two answers.
‘I think he is,’ says Hefer. ‘No, we both play our own game and any decisions we make are made together,’ says Le Roux diplomatically.
‘As a whole it was just excellent. It always runs so smoothly and with all the sponsors, it makes for a great day out.’
Both are on the same page, though, when it comes to why this is an event not to be missed.
‘I love Ernie and there’s no questioning his achievements on the course and now with his work for the autism cause. He’s a legend in South Africa and I don’t think there’s golfer in this country who would doubt his talent. It’s really a no-brainer when you put him and a worthy cause in the same sentence.’
Hefer has already signed the pair up for further days in this series as they look to ‘check out’ the competition. Le Roux admits the prospect of winning the final and teeing it up at the Nedbank Golf Challenge Pro-Am is enough to send him to the range more regularly.
‘The nerves will be there for sure. I guess a little more practice won’t hurt the cause,’ he adds. Hefer, who gets three more shots a round on his father-in-law, concludes by saying that maybe he too will be working on his game, with the Lost City’s reputation preceding it.
HOW READERS CAN HELP
Els for Autism funds its centre mainly through golf days, which form part of the ‘Els for Autism Drive to Sun City’. You can enter these golf days:
1 June: Stellenbosch GC
8 June: Royal Jhb East and West
15 June: Pretoria CC
28 June: Randpark GC
27 July: Oubaai GC
21 August: Copperleaf Els Club
18 October: Silver Lakes Estate
25 October: Ebotse Estate
31 Nov – 1 Dec: Sun City (final)
– Compleat Golfer is the official media partner of Els for Autism
