When he played the Eye of Africa PGA Championship as a rookie last year, Clinton Grobler’s aim was to make the cut and build a strong-enough base that he could keep his Sunshine Tour playing privileges.
He didn’t only make the cut that week but was the leading rookie at the end of the tournament, finishing in an impressive share of 11th.
“Last year was good here,†admitted Grobler who sits fourth on the Rookie of the Year race after 16 tournaments, “I found that you have to be pretty straight off the tee here. I like a course where you have to hit it straight, and having the PGA guys here many of whom I knew, was also good. It was nice for me to finish the way I did because I played well in the week.â€
His ambition is no longer to play for his card now as he makes his second appearance here as a professional.
“My aim was just to keep my card,†he says ahead of this year edition which tees off on Thursday at the Eye of Africa Signature Golf Estate, “and now the aim is a little bit higher than just keeping my card. I want to finish in the top 30 on the Order of Merit and it’s possible with the next couple of events that are coming up. They are big events and this week is another chance for me to climb up and finish a little bit better.â€
He lies 51st on the Order of Merit and a few results similar to the share of 11th he got here last year or the second-place finish he got at Humewood in September last year, will surely take him there and he believes he’s got what it takes to move even higher up that Order of Merit before the season ends.
“I feel much better than last week (at the SA Open),†he admits, “I’ve been on holiday for quite a long time and it wasn’t that great for my game. But, I’ve been practising hard this week and hopefully, it will show. I’ve done some adjustments on the grips of my clubs and hitting some nice butter-cuts, so, hopefully, it will show this week. I want to finish better than last year, a top 10 would be nice
