Still only 13, this rising junior has the talent and focus that will see her going far in the sport

BY CLINTON VAN DER BERG​​​​​​​ 

Athleticism runs in the family – her mother, Liezl, was a netball player, and her father, Cornel, played cricket and rugby – but for Gemma, it was the individual challenge of golf that stuck. Today, she balances a demanding training schedule with her studies at Dainfern College. It's a juggling act that requires a level of discipline many adults struggle to master.

'I try to get the balance right by sticking to a schedule,' she explains. 'I make time for golf and practice, and time for school. It's sometimes hard to catch up, but I have that discipline. I just go with it.'

That discipline was put to the ultimate test in February at The Els Club Copperleaf. Competing in the Flight Division of the SA Women's Amateur Championship, Huxham found herself two-down against the seasoned mid-amateur veteran Charlene Oosthuizen. It was the kind of high-pressure moment where many young players might crumble.

Instead, Huxham performed what has become her signature 'positive reset.'

'I hit a couple of bad shots, but I wasn't thinking about them,' she recalls. 'I was thinking about the next shot. I told myself that winning this would be a good thing to win.'

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This mental toughness, and a laser focus on the immediate task, is what sets her apart. She watched Oosthuizen's calm demeanour and tucked the lesson away for future use. The result? A stunning comeback victory that solidified her reputation as one of South Africa's most formidable young talents.

This victory followed a massive breakthrough in April 2025, where she clinched the Silver Division at the Nomads SA Girls Rose Bowl Championship at Durbanville Golf Club.

While her trophies sit on a dedicated shelf outside her bedroom, a collection that is growing so quickly it may soon need a second level, Huxham is far from a one-dimensional athlete. When she isn't on the green, she is often found in the music room. As the vice-captain of the school choir, a marimba player, and a singer in the school band, Huxham finds a different kind of rhythm. An alto who can comfortably hit the high notes when the arrangement demands it, she loves the complexity of harmonies. It's perhaps this musicality that informs her secret weapon on the course: her putting.

'When I putt, I feel like the greens speak to me,' she says. 'I love slower greens.'

Huxham embraces them, reading the grass with an almost intuitive grace.

'When I putt, I feel like the greens speak to me. I love slower greens'

Despite her growing renown and the fact that she is increasingly recognised by her peers at Dainfern College, Huxham remains remarkably grounded. She finds the attention 'interesting' but doesn't let it distract her from the long game.

Her roadmap is clear: first, a golf scholarship to a top-tier university in the United States, and then, a spot on the professional tour. If she had her choice of a dream fourball, she'd tee off alongside her idols: Nelly Korda, Louis Oosthuizen, and, of course, Bryson DeChambeau.

For now, she is happy to keep practicing, keep singing, and keep listening to what the greens have to tell her.