There have been the inevitable ups and downs for this Sunshine Tour stalwart, but he is determined to remain focused, writes MIKE GREEN in Compleat Golfer.
When Oliver Bekker won the Dimension Data Pro-Am in 2012, it gave him exemption into the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio – and a close-up glimpse into the life everyone who wants to be a golf professional dreams about.
And it was a prank played on him in the locker room that sticks with the 32-year-old as his career takes an upturn after a few bleak years had him looking at an early exit from a life in golf that is still very much in the ‘promising’ phase.
‘I remember walking to the locker room during a rain delay at the Bridgestone Invitational,’ recalls Bekker of his visit to a place that is more famous for making tyres than it is for its golf.
‘And as I closed the door behind me, it popped back open again. So I closed it again and it popped back open. When I opened the door to have a look at what was going on, I saw Bubba Watson standing on the other side with a big smile on his face. It was pretty funny. It was nice to see guys like that so relaxed off the course.
‘They are all business on the course, though. That event was an amazing experience for me. The crowds are insane. They are so interested in what you are doing. The course is in such good condition, you are almost scared to take a divot. You don’t want to mess up the fairway or tee box.’
After his Dimension Data Pro-Am victory, he won again in 2013. But things became too quiet on the golf front for a man who looked as if he was one of the good ones when he took his maiden title at the Northern Cape Classic in September 2011. He didn’t win again until he prevailed at the 2016 Sun City Challenge.
‘It was a frustrating couple of seasons for me up until the win at Sun City,’ he says.
‘I missed a lot of cuts and was travelling a great deal. Being away from home and playing badly takes a toll on a man. It was also costing me a lot of money. I have equipment and apparel sponsors, but I don’t get any money from sponsors to play golf. So I have to pay my own way. When you are paying R25 000-R35 000 a week and missing cuts, it adds up quickly.
‘If things hadn’t turned around for me, I think this season would have been my last. After winning and then finishing second again a few weeks later, I gained a lot of confidence. My recent form has compounded that for me.’
That recent form included a strong showing at the 2017 Zimbabwe Open at Royal Harare Golf Club, where he finished third behind JC Ritchie with a great final-round seven-under-par 65. Another victory followed at the Zambia Sugar Open at Lusaka Golf Club, where three rounds in the 60s were followed up with a fighting one-under 72 in the final round to lift the trophy.
But as satisfying as that win was in the circumstances, it wasn’t his favourite. ‘The first one was the best,’ he says.
‘I won the Northern Cape Classic in Kimberley, where my grandfather played most of his best golf. He unfortunately passed away before I won. Soit was very special for me. That win also showed me I could win out here on Tour.’
It was his grandfather who got him into the game. ‘He was a scratch player in his heyday,’ Bekker remembers.
‘He worked for Old Mutual – he was the big boss. He is my father’s father-in-law, and my dad also worked for Old Mutual at that stage.
‘There was an Old Mutual golf day in Caledon, where we lived, and my father, who isn’t really a great golfer, was to play with his father-in-law. The pressure was on to get his game in shape, so he went to hit golf balls on the rugby field after work. I joined him and found that I enjoyed the game. So that’s where it all started for me.’
It has continued rather nicely for Bekker, and his ability to contribute to the game has been recognised by his peers, as he’s been elected chairman of the Sunshine Tour Players’ Committee. In part, that’s also recognition of a smart business brain, which helps him to be quite analytical about golf – and life.
‘I’m trying to do my CFA [chartered financial analyst],’he says. ‘It’s tough going with all my commitments – the Players’ Committee and getting married – so I’ll have to see how it goes.
‘It’s definitely part of something I’d like to do after golf. I also have an accounting degree, which I think would complement the CFA nicely. I also think it’s important to be able to manage your own investments, or at least understand what someone is trying to get you to invest in. I’ve heard of a lot of sportsmen who lose everything because of bad investments.’
Now that Bekker’s form has returned, he is focused on golf for the foreseeable future, and that includes taking a shot at the Majors. ‘I’m flying to the UK to play the US Open qualifier,’ he says. ‘With my current form I’d like to think I have a chance of making it, but it’s always a shootout in a qualifier. So everyone has a chance.
‘I would love to play The Masters at Augusta National. To play there must be amazing. Winning that, and getting to play there every year, must be incredible!’
Those dreams are closer to reality than ever for Bekker. Pranks by Major winners might not end up being the closest he gets to one of the titles anymore. And if anyone can think themselves into a position to make it happen, he can.
*Ed’s note: Since this article, Bekker qualified for the US Open at Erin Hills where he missed the cut along with George Coetzee and Charl Schwartzel
SUNSHINE TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
2009 – Nashua Golf Challenge (T3rd), Lombard Insurance Classic (T4th)
2010 – Nashua Masters (T2nd)
2011 – Telkom PGA Championship (5th), Northern Cape Classic (1st)
2012 – Dimension Data Pro-Am (1st), Royal Swazi Open (5th), Zambia Open (T5th), Wild Waves Golf Challenge (3rd)
2013 – Telkom PGA Pro-Am (1st)
2014 – Telkom Business PGA Champs (T4th), Nedbank Affinity Cup (T5th)
2016 – Sun City Challenge (1st), Sun Sibaya Challenge (2nd)
2017 – Zimbabwe Open (3rd), Zambia Open (1st), Lombard Insurance Classic (1st)
– This article first appeared in the May issue of Compleat Golfer
