Benoni’s long-drive champ to represent SA in Las Vegas

GridPro SA (GPSA) has selected, for the fourth year running, Order of Merit winner and SA Long Drive champion for 2019/20 Thorne “Eliminator” van Zyl to represent South Africa in the PLDA World Long Drive Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, on September 22.

It is a proud achievement for the sportsman and his hometown – Thorne was born in Benoni and is a Norton Home Estate resident.

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“Following a nail-biting final in December, Thorne has proven that he has not only the talent but also the ability to compete with the best in the world of long driving,” said Steven van Zyl, GridPro owner.

“Being a long drive athlete is not only gruelling on the body but also gruelling on your equipment.”

Thorne has spent hours and hours of dedicated training not only in his gym but also on the driving range, which has paid off for him in the past few years.

“Qualifying rounds start in February this year, with eight head-to-head events at the Grasslands Driving Range in Benoni,” said Steven.

“These events will not only decide who joins Thorne at the world champs this year but also who is the Ultimate Long Drive champion in South Africa.”

Thorne started the sport four years ago by winning his first three events against some of South Africa’s longest hitters of a golf ball.

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Thorne now has over 30 wins locally and a huge win in Mallorca, Spain, in 2019 where he won the last qualifying spot of the European Long Drive games to compete at Winstar Casino, USA, where he was placed among the top 32 in the world.

“This year he hopes to fulfill his long-time dream of becoming one of the elite players in world long drive to try and win the PLDA Title to add to his resume,” concluded Steven.