EDENVALE, Gauteng – Altin van der Merwe will be keenly aware of the power of this week’s Fortress Invitational on the Sunshine Tour to turn a rookie season into a groundbreaking one.
The 27-year-old, who is currently third on the Fortress Rookie of the Year standings, will recall how Robin Williams won this title in his rookie season last year and now returns this week as the holder of a DP World Tour card.
Van Der Merwe heads into Thursday’s first round at Glendower Golf Club with two top-10s in his last five Sunshine Tour events. But it’s more the perspective he brings, having turned professional at a relatively later age than most, which Van Der Merwe feels is his biggest asset in this first season on Tour.
“I’ve had a few ups and a lot of downs in my life. As a result I feel like I know what’s out there and the disappointments you can go through. You learn to accept it a lot easier. Accepting is the biggest part of this game. If you hit a bad shot there’s nothing you can do about it but move on,” he says.
Van Der Merwe was 19 years old when he made his first attempt at the Sunshine Tour Qualifying School, and missed out by a single stroke. It was a career-defining moment for him, in more ways than one.
“I was pretty broken after Q School. We had a 10-hour drive the next day back to George and I decided we were going to drive through the night because I wasn’t going to stay there any longer. I didn’t say one word to my caddie or best friend at the time for 10 hours. The golf wasn’t the same for about two years after that. You get so emotional with this game.”
But what he did with his time thereafter was transforming. Van Der Merwe became one of South Africa’s top amateurs, rising through the ranks of GolfRSA and claiming a string of big titles. He also completed his studies and saw the real world in action while working as a waiter.
“I think if I’d made it at Q School then I would’ve struggled because I was a bit naive then. I was 19 and I thought I could take on anyone and anything, but you can’t beat golf. Now I’m glad I missed because I’ve achieved a lot of cool things in the past few years.”
This year April he returned to Q School, and won it.
Van Der Merwe has been close enough to a win twice already on the Sunshine Tour this season.
“I want to perform out here. I put a lot of pressure on myself, but my wife will often tell me to relax. But as long as I put myself in that position regularly, I’m going to have my chance.”
This week’s Fortress Invitational will also see South African Tyran Snyders play his first tournament as a professional on the Sunshine Tour as a product of the new Global Amateur Pathway. The Sunshine Tour, as part of the Strategic Alliance with the DP World Tour, is a key supporter of the Global Amateur Pathway which was launched by the DP World Tour, PGA Tour and The R&A. Its vision is to help the best eligible male non-collegiate amateur players within the top 20 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings take the next step in their careers and secure playing rights on the DP World Tour and partner tours such as the Sunshine Tour. – Michael Vlismas
