Andy Capostagno
golf
There was a time when driving through Carolina and crossing the border from South Africa into Swaziland was the equivalent of pulling the string on a very large party popper.
For years the Royal Swazi Sun was?the venue of the end-of-tour party a party that just happened to have a golf tournament thrown in. Times have changed. Not only is the Investec Royal Swazi Sun Open no longer the last event on the summer section of the Sunshine Tour, but?its prize fund of R500?000 has an Old Mother Hubbard look to it. Which?is not to say that the sponsor is being mean, just that the amount of?money on offer elsewhere dwarfs it by comparison. Last week’s PGA Championship at Woodhill was worth R1-million and next?week’s Tour Championship at Leopard Creek is worth R2-million. The?co-sanctioned events at Houghton and East London were worth R6-million and R8-million respectively. It is no surprise therefore that several players with playing privileges on the Asian Tour have opted to miss this week’s?event in order to play for $1-million in Malaysia. Those who are staying behind fall, roughly speaking, into three categories. In the first are Trevor Immelman, Bradford Vaughan and?Hennie Otto, all of whom are battling for the runner-up spot on the?order of merit that brings with it worldwide privileges which includes an?invitation to the Open Championship at Royal Lytham. In the second category a host of players are battling to cement a spot?in the top 50 of the order of merit, thereby earning the right to peg it?up in every event on next year’s tour, including the co-sanctioned events. And finally there are those who have battled all season to get into a?tournament and have finally achieved their goal. For the pre-qualifiers?there is the added bonus that they have made it into a field restricted to 104 competitors, meaning that only 30 or so will fall by the wayside?after the halfway cut. The players will be treated to a golf course that has earned its stripes down the years as a fair test of golf. The relatively simple front nine?that Simon Hobday once covered in 28 strokes, gives way to the roller-coaster terrain of the back nine where the Ezulwini Valley setting is?shown to glorious effect. The signature holes of the course are the last two, a par five that?invites eagles and bogeys in equal measure with its second shot over a?greenside lake, and an uphill par three to the clubhouse where an errant?tee shot can destroy a man’s ability to enjoy the hospitality of the?19th. In 1993 Sean Pappas won in Swaziland and he’s back again, together with?younger brother Deane, who won in Pretoria last week. Sean played one of?the more remarkable shots seen at the course some years ago, at the?short par four 10th hole. Pappas’ approach only just carried the ravine that guards the green. His?ball came to a stop in a clump of weed and he was forced to address it with his back to the hole, toes poking out over a sheer drop of 30m. He flicked a sand wedge under the ball and hit a miraculous shot?that came to rest 2m from the hole.?
Not that Pappas was in a position to see the result. He was hanging on?to his caddy for dear life in an attempt to avoid plunging into the?ravine. Like all good golf courses, the Royal Swazi Sun is about risk?and reward. This week he who dares, like Pappas, will win.