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INSIDE THE ROPES
HUNGRY FOR MORE
Keith Horne has graced courses worldwide for almost 30 years, and there’s still plenty to look forward to. Mike Green
He’s perhaps the archetypical journeyman professional, although Keith Horne is the owner of nine victories on the Sunshine Tour.
Longevity is one of the attributes of those kinds of players. Horne turned professional in 1996 and has been playing on Tours around the world ever since.
“When I started, I could never have imagined that I would have played right the way though and would never stop,” he says as he finishes his preparation for the Legends Tour’s MCB Tour Championship at the Legend Course at Constance Belle Mare Plage in Mauritius.
“Recently, there was a 30-year anniversary celebration at Prince’s Grant, where I used to work,” he adds. “I was assistant professional to Hugh Baiocchi. They were generous to me and organised a golf day for me before I turned pro, where I played with Guy Smith, my first boss.
“Guy made a speech afterwards where he said that if Keith plays like that, he’s going to go hungry. I was very raw when I started out. I always felt like there was a lot of room for improvement. I just had to do it before I starved.”
It's 28 years on, and he’s hardly starving. He’s won over R15-million on the Sunshine Tour, and plenty more in Asia and, lately, on the Legends Tour. “We’re playing for our pension now,” he says. “We journeymen are trying to build up as much money as we can because we won’t be playing forever.”
“We journeymen are trying to build up as much money as we can because we won’t be playing forever”
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TAKING THE LEAD
Horne shares his thoughts after shooting a brilliant 63 in the final round of the 2024 Zambia Golf Legends Championship.
That drive pushed Horne to a season that was pretty good on the Legends Tour. “We always complain that it could have been better, but it also could have been worse,” he says.
“I haven’t played that well. I’ve been struggling with my swing and it’s been a frustrating year. But I putted well and I’ve learned how to hang in there. Especially on the Legends Tour, where a lot of the courses we play aren’t long. There are a lot of resort courses, so I manage my game until we get to the par fives and then I can get up for two, and that’s how I’ve been manipulating my way around. I’d really like to play a lot better. But it has been a good year.
“My highlight was winning in Zambia. It’s strange: when I go overseas and then come back home, I have much more confidence and I’m more relaxed. And that’s what happened in Zambia. I had a feeling I was going to win, or certainly give it a good go, even though I was flying all the way from the US. I just needed to get through the first day. I shot one under, and having got through that, I then played well. It was my goal to win this year.”
Horne has been able to get to the top of things on the Legends Tour for a simple reason: “I was competitive right up until 50 on the main Tour. I was playing in Asia and in South Africa. There are a lot of guys who had taken five years off and had been teaching or had other jobs, and then they had to get back into it again.
“I was still a full-time player when I arrived on the Tour. I was sharper and that gave me a head start, certainly confidence-wise. I felt it immediately. When you’re competing against the up-and-coming kids back home, you are pushing yourself to the limit. Then suddenly, you feel comfortable.”
“When you’re competing against the up-and-coming kids back home, you are pushing yourself to the limit”
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FAVOURITES
Place: Greece. It was about a four-hour drive from Athens – Costa Navarino in Pilos. It was very special. We stayed in a lovely place right on the docks. The people were so friendly. A beautiful little town with nice shops and a square you could go down to every evening for sundowners, and the kids would be playing. All the locals would be down there, having a smoke, and local mafiosi having a coffee on the corner.
Course: It’s a hard answer, because I’ve played some beautiful courses. So if I had one more round of golf to play, I’d play the Old Course at St Andrews. It really is a special place. I still get excited when I tee it up on the 1st tee, almost a buzz of nerves. It feels like such an occasion. I’ve played Pebble Beach, which was awesome, but it doesn’t give me the same feeling as St Andrews. And in South Africa, Leopard Creek. The kids love it, although after this week in Mauritius, they may have a new favourite place!
Person to play with: I haven’t played with him for years, but I played with Stephen Gallacher once, and he’s such a lovely guy. He’s got this intense competitiveness, and he just drags you with him. His eyes are almost like lion’s eyes. On the Legends Tour, it’s always nice to play with your friends. Adilson Da Silva, James Kingston and I do a lot of travelling together, so playing with them is great. And Adilson is just the nicest guy.
Club: If you look in my bag, the most worn club is my wedge. I hit almost two-thirds of my practice shots with it. But the club that gives me an edge would be my driver.
WINNING MATE
Adilson Da Silva clinched the MCB Road to Mauritius title in December by finishing in a share of seventh after a closing three-under-par 69 at the MCB Tour Championship on the Legend Course at Constance Belle Mare Plage.
It was a case of third time lucky for Da Silva as he claimed the John Jacobs Trophy for the MCB Road to Mauritius No 1 after finishing second on the points list for the past two years on the Legends Tour. He picked up wins at the OFX Irish Legends and European Legends Cup, plus a second place at the Zambia Golf Legends Championship, tied-second at the WINSTONgolf Senior Open and six more top-10s, including his tie-seventh in the season-finale.
“It’s difficult to describe it,” said Da Silva. “This is the cherry on top. It’s such a prestigious trophy to win. It’s been such an experience to finish runner-up twice. Sometimes you start to think it’s not going to happen. It’s amazing when all the work and things pay off. It’s so rewarding. It’s been such a wonderful journey for me.
“I have to thank a lot of people. You know, it’s not only you at the end of the day; it’s your family, coaches, physiotherapist, the sponsors. A lot of people are involved. It means a great deal to me and my family, so yeah, they’re very happy.”
Da Silva is, of course, Brazilian, but he’s lived in KwaZulu-Natal for a long time with his wife and South Africa-born children. He was discovered as a caddie and had his skills honed at Royal Harare Golf Club.
He won nine times on the Sunshine Tour, and holds the record for most consecutive cuts made on that Tour with 43.
Mike Green was a guest of Constance Hotels, Resorts & Golf, and was hosted at the luxurious five-star Constance Belle Mare Plage resort in Mauritius.
IMAGES: CHRISTIAAN KOTZE/BACKPAGEPIX/TYRONE WINFIELD/CARL FOURIE/HEINRICH HELMBOLD/SUNSHINE TOUR/LEGENDS TOUR/GETTY IMAGES/CONSTANCE HOTELS, RESORTS & GOLF