DESTINY CALLING

Dylan Naidoo has every reason to feel positive about what lies ahead in his golfing career. Gary Lemke

Dylan Naidoo is in a good place right now, in every sense. As we chatted, he had risen to a career-high spot in the Official World Golf Ranking, was preparing for the next wave of Sunshine Tour events that would take him to Pecanwood, Royal Cape and Fancourt, and he has settled into his ambassador role for Steyn City, which he now calls home.

He signed off 2024 with his best result as a pro, in terms of World Ranking points, when he tied for second with Christo Lamprecht at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, having gone into that final round at Mont Choisy Le Golf as the 54-hole leader. He closed with a 71, with England’s John Parry surging past with a Sunday 64.

“To be in that position for as long as I was, was amazing,” says Naidoo, who turns 27 in February. Has he subsequently perhaps rued a shot that got away here and there that might otherwise have seen him win for the first time on the DP World Tour? “Not at all,” he replies instantly. “I shot 71 and there’s nothing you can do when someone goes on a crazy run and shoots 64 with seven birdies and an eagle.

“I stayed controlled, telling myself to stick to my processes, don’t let my eyes wander, and don’t get distracted by the crowds and TV cameras. Concentrate on my ball striking, which has been at a very high standard for quite a long while now. Golf gives and it takes, that’s my attitude.”

This was as close as Naidoo, a product of the GolfRSA National Squad, has got since he won his only Sunshine Tour event to date – the 2022 SunBet Challenge hosted by Sun Sibaya.

“You want to achieve a lot, but to do that you need to earn it. You need to play the golf that’s going to get you up to the next level”

As an 18-year-old, Naidoo had opened the curtain on what lay ahead when he beat a field of 109 pros to be the first amateur and youngest winner of a Big Easy Tour event at Observatory Golf Club. Four years later he was a Sunshine Tour winner.

“I feel like the first win almost came before I was ready for it,” he says with raw honesty. “There are a few guys I’ve looked up to a lot in my life who have stepped up really fast and you go, ‘Wow, this is like superstar material,’ and then it all kind of comes crashing down quite quickly because there aren’t a lot of benchmarks achieved along the way. My career hasn’t been as straightforward as I had projected it to be when I was younger, but I’m better for it.

“I’ve lowered my expectations and that’s helped me play better golf. When I first came out on Tour, I was ambitious. You want to achieve a lot, but to do that you need to earn it. You need to play the golf that’s going to get you up to the next level.”

His career timeline shows that he is indeed levelling up. He ended 2024 at No 464 in the world and when we spoke in late January, he was at a career-high 453th. Twelve months earlier he was ranked in 753th place. “I’m a data-centric guy so I look at stats all the time, which also tell me where I have improved in my game, an example being in strokes gained. So, yeah, I do watch the rankings closely.”

Naidoo consistently says he’s not one for setting timelines or milestones. Even as we speak, he has nothing screaming back at him in bold capital letters in his 2025 diary. “I suppose the only real goal I have is to play on the DP World Tour. I feel I am close to that level, but whether it will be in 2025 or 2026 doesn’t keep me awake at night.”

BEHIND THE SCENES

Hear more from the player who is establishing himself as a household name on the South African golf scene.

WATCH NOW

Gallery below

While his ball striking has been one of his strong points over the years – a talent that saw him stand out as an amateur and gave him early success in the pro ranks – it’s his putting that has improved and which he is confident is an area that will take him to the next level.

“I haven’t done anything different in terms of my putting, like getting a new putter or changing my grip. But I did start working with a new mental coach late last year and I feel that has helped enormously.

“I’m a good student and I believe in the team aspect. Just having a different set of eyes on what I’m doing on the greens makes a big difference. I use the AimPoint method and I do activations on every putt – it makes me feel like a junior again!”

And he laughs. It’s an infectious laugh, one which comes easily and gives off the vibe of a young man who knows what his golfing destiny is. He knows that with the right processes and the continued direction he is trending, the successes will look after themselves. There’s no rush.

“Golf is cyclical. Sometimes you have a break in form, but when the run comes, it comes. I’m very positive and excited about what lies ahead.”

Gallery below