Sam makes a splash

It’s hard to believe but the Gary Player course at Sun City is now 30 years old.

Hard to believe because the layout which revolutionised design in South Africa still possesses the mystique which in 1979 made it local golf’s equivalent of a funfair; or, as most of us continue to find out, more of an extreme boot camp!

Doing research on the Nedbank Challenge, which of course started life as the Million Dollar, I recalled fun times at Sun City even before “Africa’s Major” was conceptualised by Sol Kerzner and Gary Player.

The course was introduced – prematurely - to us with an event that included Arnold Palmer. The fairway grass had not grown in, the greens were sandy and patchy and the players were allowed to tee up their golf balls.

Next came the Sun City Classic – a tournament that provided me with one of my all-time best golf memories because in the first round of what was a pro-am I was partnered by Lee Trevino.

I still have the full-page spread, including picture for proof, which appeared in The Rand Daily Mail and vivid memories of playing before a massive gallery; most of whom did not give a toss about us amateurs and often got in our way.

It was embarrassing – try having to ask a horde of spectators to move because you need to hack out from under a bush back to the fairway! – but also extremely enjoyable because Trevino asked me to stay as close to him as I could while he delivered a stream of his trademark patter. I worked out it was his way of appearing to be friendly without actually engaging with all and sundry.

The jovial Mexican never stopped talking – even on his own backswing – and kept up a constant commentary on the yardages, the wind, the break on the greens, scantily dressed pretty girls enjoying the sunshine and anything else that drew his attention.

I asked him if he did not mind the spectators being so close to him and he quipped: “Doesn’t worry me at all – as long as someone doesn’t grab my club on the backswing!”

A year later there was another Classic and this time, thanks to the insistence of Sam Feldman and the late George Blumberg, who in those pre-blanket TV days believed in the influence of specialist golf writers, I got drawn with Sam Torrance who will be one of SuperSport’s commentators at this year’s Nedbank Challenge.

Torrance, of course, would go on to be a victorious captain of Europe’s Ryder Cup team and a hugely successful golfer in his own right, but he did one of the most amazing things I have witnessed on a golf course.

We (my amateur partner and I) were down to play the first round in the company of the Scot before it would be pros only for the rest of the tournament.

The pros don’t really like pro-ams in which their scores count but I thought he might be quite pleased to discover he would be with a pair of 4 handicap golfers (our third did not arrive) who knew the drill and would keep pace.

Torrance, however, was taking no chances and gave us a little lecture on the first tee about how he was playing for real and that we should stay out of his way. Remember this is my office. Yes sir! This was not going to be has convivial as playing with Trevino.

Torrance was concerned about the heat but nevertheless carded what I thought to be a superb level-par 72 on a course he had hardly seen before. He was in the hunt and the next day he posted another 72 – his total of 144 putting him five off the pace.

A couple of us scribblers waited around to get some quotes but a pale-looking Torrance pushed by, hauled himself up the incline to the Main Hotel’s pool, and toppled straight in without even removing his spiked shoes!

And that was it. Word filtered through to the Press Room, which used to be run by Brenda Bloomberg in the pump room next to the pool that Torrance had withdrawn because of heat exhaustion.

As the sun was setting Torrance, beer in hand, was still wallowing in the pool but had by then removed his sodden Footjoy classics!

This year at least he will be working in the air-conditioned refines of SuperSport’s commentary booths, which are in the compound under the fake palm tree (used for radio transmitting equipment) alongside the 7th green, and should be a great addition to the broadcasting team.

*Seeing as it’s bothering you… I’ve checked… Sam Torrance did play in a Nedbank Challenge - in 1995 when the course was playing as tough as can be and the winner was Corey Pavin. Torrance finished fourth, behind Pavin, Nick Price and Bernhard Langer, eight shots off the winning pace with a four under score of 284 (69 73 70 72).