INSIDE THE ROPES
on the
RIGHT
track
Luca Filippi is on the comeback trail after refusing to let a major injury derail a career he loves
BY MICHAEL VLISMAS
Luca Filippi remembers lying on an operating table thinking, ‘My entire career is now in this man’s hands.’ And he admits it was the scariest moment of his life.
The 26-year-old professional, a former top amateur and one of the brightest young prospects on the Sunshine Tour, was facing his second shoulder operation in three months to try to get to the bottom of a persistent injury.
It was the first time in Filippi’s promising career that he’d reached such a big crossroads. His first major injury, which had resulted in the longest time away from the game as he sat on the sidelines for almost a year.
It began in April 2024 when, standing in the middle of the fairway at the Limpopo Championship at Euphoria Golf & Lifestyle Estate, he inexplicably hit a root with his swing during the pro-am.
‘The physical part is there. It’s more the mental part that will be important – working through my doubts so I can get back to where I was’
‘I was in pain and could barely take the club past 90 degrees. Then in May I was in a big car accident on my way back from a pro-am, and that jolted the shoulder even more,’ says Filippi.
‘I went for an MRI and it showed a bone spur in my left shoulder. But the doctor told me it wasn’t drastic enough to operate so he put me on a rehab programme. By September I was still battling with my shoulder and in pain. You know, you’re 25 years old and you don’t know what’s wrong with your shoulder.’
After undergoing a scope it was found that Filippi had also chipped cartilage in the shoulder. The first operation was deemed a success, and after rehab, Filippi was back swinging a golf club again.
‘But my first swing back, I still felt something wasn’t right. I had the same pain. So I went for another MRI and the bone spur had caused so much inflammation. I had a second surgery in November, so that was two shoulder surgeries in a very short space of time, which was a big risk. It was the scariest moment I’ve had to go through in my life. It was a terrible time.’
QUICK Q&A
You did some television commentary during your time off. How was that experience?
The commentary was wonderful. I really enjoyed my time in the booth and the people I worked with are great. I think it’s nice to give a player’s perspective, especially the thinking on certain holes and so on. But it was tough watching instead of playing.
Did you have a lot of support from your fellow professionals?
I did. Dylan Naidoo checked in with me every second day, and Sean Bradley was another good friend of mine who checked in regularly. Something like this shows you who your true friends are.’
Filippi says his fianceé Denequé played a major role in keeping him sane throughout his ordeal. And she provided the most unexpected rehab advice that proved a masterstroke.
‘She helped me so much and she kept telling me positive things. After the first operation, I was in a terrible mindset. I was at home in a sling and feeling sorry for myself. Then before the second operation, my fianceé said she wasn’t going through that mental turmoil again. She bought me an Xbox and said I must play games. So I downloaded Call of Duty: War Zone and now I’m addicted to that game. I also watched a lot of tennis on YouTube. It all actually helped my mental space a lot.’
It's a measure of Filippi’s undeniable talent that after being sidelined for almost a year, he returned to the Sunshine Tour and made the cut at two of his first four tournaments, including one finish of tie-17th.
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‘The physical part is there. It’s more the mental part that will be important – getting that belief back and working through my doubts so I can get back to where I was. It’s hard to stop myself thinking of where I was in my game. That’s the toughest because I’m not there yet. To compare is not good after being out for a year.
‘I’m just looking for game time and some tournament exposure again. I need to relearn some of the feelings out there, and then I can start to build.’
DID YOU KNOW?
In early May, Filippi made his first appearance on the Sunshine Tour in 336 days after succumbing to a long-term injury.
Filippi’s experience has also given him a new focus for his career.
‘Something like this gives you perspective. You can easily take for granted what we have on Tour. Being a professional golfer is such a cool profession, and sitting on a couch at home gave me that perspective and hunger to get back.
‘In that sense, it gave me further clarity of what I want in life, and want to get back. So I’m looking forward to this new season and getting my game ready for the big events coming up at the end of the year. It’s going to be good.’
TYRONE WINFIELD/SUNSHINE TOUR
