Centurion - Dylan Naidoo will be using the next three weeks on the Sunshine Tour to sharpen up his game as he heads back to the USA for the Korn Ferry Tour.
The Korn Ferry Tour is the developmental tour for the US PGA Tour, and could pave the way for Naidoo to the upper echelons of world golf.
First up for the 24-year-old Naidoo will be the Zim Open Golf Championship, starting at Royal Harare Golf Club and Chapman Golf Club on Thursday.
“I’ve never been to Zimbabwe before, it is my first time. But I’ve heard really good things about the golf courses and the greens and courses, so that’s exciting,” Naidoo said.
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“We’ve had a six-week break and playing the Zim Open fits into the plans I have for the year. Zim Open is one of the three I had been eyeing for the start of the season. Thereafter I’ll play the Sishen Classic in Northern Cape from 26 to 29 May, and then SunBet Challenge at Sun City Gary Player from 1 to 3 June.”
“With the new season starting on the Sunshine Tour, I had planned to get some good tournament golf in and get myself as high up as possible on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit before heading off to the Korn Ferry Tour later this year. Starting with Zim is part of that plan.”
Having finished 56th on the 2021/2022 Sunshine Tour Order of Merit, Naidoo is pleased that his golf is improving in a steady upward trend.
“For the new season, the new goals I have set for myself, and together with the support of my sponsors National Security and Fire, Cidel and Global Collateral Control, I am confident that with hard work I will achieve the objectives set out,” he says.
In preparation for the new season, Naidoo gave himself a mini off-season: “I haven’t been playing much. I took a week off to go to the US to attend a friend’s wedding and spent time away from the clubs which was a good refresh. Now I’m feeling ready to go.”
Gearing up for the Zim Open has mainly been mental groundwork for the Sunshine Tour and Korn Ferry Tour player: “My preparation for Zim was mostly just thinking about golf in the head and how I will handle myself mentally. I thought about what my swing needs to be like, so apart from some gym conditioning there wasn’t a lot of physical preparation because I had decided to take a bit of break.”
Comfortable with his long game as one of his biggest strengths, Naidoo focused more on working his short game in the weeks leading up Zim Open to get him tournament ready.
“Having heard that the greens are really good there, is also going to be an important part of the game.”
IOL sport