Former Proteas quick Vernon Philander – fastest to 50 Test scalps – talks to GRANT SHUB about his hole-in-one, Rory McIlroy’s meltdown and not rushing teen Kwena Maphaka.
Vernon Philander, dubbed ‘The Surgeon’ by the late Shane Warne owing to his clinical precision with the ball and pin-point line and length, signed off on an illustrious Test career in 2020.
Fast forward to today and other than the exhilaration of driving fast cars, striking a sweetly timed driver on the range affords Philander a similar adrenaline rush.
Philander’s long game is a strength. He is pretty solid with his driver and his wedge game is proper but the former all-rounder is having a bit of a battle with his irons at the moment as he’s not trusting them.
Ever the competitor, Philander was disappointed by his performance at the 2024 SuperSport Shootout with the wind pumping at the Zimbali Estate over the two days.
He also didn’t enjoy it as much this year as he was split from his regular golf partner, Ashwell Prince. Prince combined with Shaun Pollock as they finished T7 at the betterball event. Philander played with Craig Comins from Callaway, whom he describes as a proper golfer, but they got hurt by a few tricky blind tee shots.
‘I’m still a 3-index and love bombing a driver and trying to hit it as far as I can,’ Philander tells Compleat Golfer from his home in Bellville. ‘I love being on the golf course and my interest in golf came about when we had long tours away from home.’
For a boy from Ravensmead, an area pockmarked by drug and alcohol abuse and the ill-effects of gangsterism, an international career which saw him play 64 Tests, 30 ODIs and seven T20Is for South Africa is the stuff of dreams. Philander may have enjoyed a glittering 13-year international career, but the journey was not without a fight.
He took the scenic route to the top by playing club cricket against men when he was still a boy and only made his Test debut in 2011 at the age of 25. The highs of taking 50 Test wickets in record-breaking time (seven Test matches) and earning the Test mace at Lord’s in 2012, coincided with the lows of never winning a limited-overs ICC World Cup.
Choking is a word synonymous with the South African cricket team and it was also tossed in Rory McIlroy’s direction as he made three bogeys in the last four holes and missed two short putts for par to surrender the US Open title at Pinehurst. The Northern Irishman, who has not added to his four Majors since 2014, finished a shot behind winner Bryson DeChambeau and made a hasty retreat avoiding any media interactions.
‘Those clutch moments are always tough but playing it safe is a dangerous space to be in from a psychological point of view,’ notes Philander. ‘Competing in and winning the Majors is a completely different ball game and it really takes a certain kind of mindset.’
Philander says there is not much separating the top players. For the 39-year-old, the point of difference is between the ears and McIlroy will need to take a break from the game and reset mentally because he’s had stress when it comes to the Majors column.
‘It was probably the right thing for Rory to have done,’ says Philander, who relates to the pressure of being a professional sportsman. ‘He needed time to clear his head and get away from the game to get his mind back to winning ways. Rory has been a superstar when it comes to the golfing arena but is only human. Very often when you’re in that mind space it’s also best to get away from the media who like to sensationalise.’
Philander underlines that competing at the top is a tough arena. While everyone is keen to see what happens behind the scenes of the top players, with Netflix’s Full Swing docuseries a prime example, it can only be done up to a point.
Although a battery of cameras can be overbearing at times, when Philander shot a hole-in-one on the 12th at Mount Edgecombe Country Club in 2021, he would have been pleased if it could have been captured. It was 167m to the hole with the flag tucked behind the bunker on the left. The ex-Proteas all-rounder takes up the tale …
‘I was contemplating between a 7 and 8-iron but my Indian caddie for the day said, “No Laanie, you need to hit a 7-iron.”
‘I thought it would be too much club but he replied, “No Laanie, trust me!”
‘I started just right of the flag with a bit of a draw and I’ve never seen someone get so excited. My caddie, who was by now running, shouted: “Laanie, I’m telling you it’s in the hole!”
‘As I drove towards the flag, I could see that there was nothing on the green. When we saw my ball in the hole, what a moment it was for me!’
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Philander says his first and only hole-in-one so far was a special feeling but it doesn’t rival taking a five-wicket haul.
‘What you want to achieve as a golfer is a hole-in-one or albatross but there is nothing more special than taking a five-wicket haul on the big stage – it doesn’t come close.’ Philander took his first five-wicket haul in his debut against Australia at Newlands in 2011. His figures of 5-15 were the fewest runs conceded while taking a fifer for South Africa.
In terms of legacy, Philander would like to be remembered for having raised the standard and then set the bar for future generations to follow. One such player is 18-year-old fast bowler Kwena Maphaka. Of the U19 ace, who conceded 66 runs in four overs in his IPL debut, Philander stresses that the young gun mustn’t be rushed.
‘At the time, I made the comment that he was thrown to the wolves,’ says Philander. ‘Kwena is highly talented but we need to be more patient. We must allow him to really grow into the role of bowling with the new ball in domestic cricket and build confidence.’
In South African cricket, Philander says it’s not good enough to pick on promise, and questions its sustainability.
He suggests it does more harm than good from a psychological point of view and his message is for young players to be given more time.
– This article first appeared in the August 2024 issue of Compleat Golfer magazine.
