Gallery
GOLF NEWS - Professional golfer Martin Vorster (21) was home in Mossel Bay this week and gave an interview before setting off for the Zim Open Championship next week.
He turned professional in December 2021 and he said the highlight of his professional career so far was the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews, Scotland, part of DP World Tour, previously called the European Tour.
PHOTO GALLERY: Martin Vorster professional golfer
The championship took place from 29 September to 2 October 2022.
"It was an incredible experience," Vorster said.
The Zim Open at Royal Harare takes place from 4 to 7 May.
Sunshine Tour
The Sunshine Tour season finished on Sunday and the Zim Open is the first tournament of the new season of the Sunshine Tour.
"It would be great to start the season off well and finish as high as possible.
"After that I am heading to Europe. I have four tournaments from mid-May to the second week of June. If I do well, I will get to play on the Challenge Tour. This is just below the DP World Tour in terms of ability. Through the Challenge Tour you can get DP World Tour status.
"I will play all over Europe and the UK, starting off in the Netherlands, then Denmark, the Czech Republic and Spain."
In a relationship
Sorry ladies, Vorster is taken. He's in a relationship with a Canadian woman, also aged 21, and living in the United States. She plays college golf.
"We met in 2018 at the Junior World Cup in Japan. She lives in Texas and studies in Dallas. Her major is political science and her minor is journalism. She plays amateur golf."
Martin says he finds the constant travelling lonely, except when he has a buddy with him. A friend of his will be at the Zim Open. He is pleased about that. He says it is a myth that the constant travelling is enjoyable.
His favourite country so far has been Italy.
"I played in the U16 boys' champs there, three times as a junior. We were far north, against the Alps, in the city of Biella."
Vorster said he enjoyed it because it was beautiful and scenic. "The course was in the mountains. I don't like big cities."
Enjoys reading
When he is not playing golf, Martin enjoys reading, especially "a book I can learn from, such as on health or nutrition". He adds: "I'm a Christian, so I also enjoy spiritual books. I follow a healthy diet and lifestyle."
He drinks little alcohol. "I probably only have three or four drinks a year. I don't like the taste of alcohol and the affects it has on my body, so it's not worth it.
"I work with a golf-specific trainer and go to gym five to six times a week. It's part of the modern game of golf.
"Sometimes my trainer travels with us to tournaments, depending on how many of his players are in the field."
Vorster was home schooled. "I'm not really interested in studying towards a degree, but I am interested in self study. I love nutrition. If I were to study it would be in the nutrition world. I enjoy podcasts, information on recovery and on ways to improve the quality of your life. I do self research."
Vorster stays with his parents in Mossel Bay when he is home.
Sisters
He has two sisters, who are twins and aged 23, turning 24 in May. One is an engineer in Cape Town and the other is studying emergency medical care in Gqeberha.
Both sisters are getting married this year.
"We've always been close and have a very good relationship," he says. "It's fun when the family are all together at home."
Seeing that Vorster is a health enthusiast, the big question is, What does he eat?
All types of meat, including organ meats and animal fats, all fruits, certain vegetables, unpasteurised dairy from a farm and "lots of honey".
He avoids seed oils, processed foods and refined sugar.
"I have been doing this for seven or eight months. Most of my carbohydrates come from fruit," he notes.
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
