SA’s Major drought continues: Where have our top golfers gone?

So here’s a question: What happened to South Africa’s elite world-class golfers?

To be fair, the nation still has depth, with three players ranked among the top 100 in the world and another eight in the top 200.

It’s also important to note that some players’ performances are not considered for ranking purposes due to their appearances in the rebel LIV Golf series. But the nation’s struggles on the golf course began long before the recent mass exodus from the PGA and European Tours.

Major struggles

Even people who don’t watch much golf will often keep an eye on the four Major tournaments, not only because they are the premier events on the international circuit, but also because South Africa has a rich top-flight history in the annual series.

And it is at this level where the country’s recent results have raised questions about SA’s ability to still compete on the sport’s largest stages.

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South Africa has a remarkable record at Majors, spearheaded by nine-time winner Gary Player, who earned a career grand slam by lifting all four trophies, resulting in many suggesting he is the country’s all-time best athlete in any code.

And the nation found momentum at the turn of the century, enjoying a golden period between 2001 and 2012, when five players earned a total of seven titles between them.

Lengthy drought

No South African, however, has won a Major since Ernie Els at the British Open in 2012 – the last of 22 Major trophies which have been secured by seven different SA players since Bobby Locke won the British Open for the first time in 1949.

Since 2012, Louis Oosthuizen has come closest to ending the drought, finishing as the runner-up at six Majors, but he hasn’t been able to take that last step by lifting a trophy since he won the British Open in 2010.

And their performances in the first round of the PGA Championship this week left the SA quartet trailing in the challenge for the trophy at Oak Hill Country Club, with experienced player Christiaan Bezuidenhout and debutant Ockie Strydom missing the cut.

Dean Burmester was in a tie for 42nd place after Saturday’s third round – 12 shots off the pace of American leader Brooks Koepka – and Thriston Lawrence was one shot further behind in a tie for 52nd.

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We’ll have to wait for the next Major tournament to hope for someone to have a crack, but with no SA players ranked among the top 70 in the world at the moment, it might be some time before we see one of them secure a top-flight title again.

Hopefully we don’t need too much more patience before the emergence of SA’s next big star.