Next stop the KLM Open in Amsterdam, followed by a skip across the channel for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club in England, before heading for Scotland for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship over three courses, which for Sunshine Tour players is a must-stop.

All the while there are language changes, food issues, accommodation problems, items going missing, flight delays, aches and injuries, crises at home, but the tournaments have big purses and boast substantial points in the Race to Dubai – the season-ending clutch of three events, including the Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City, qualification for which is pretty much an indicator of whether or not a season has been successful.

It may seem glamorous yet it is everything but, especially when you're lacking in star status or your game goes off. It is an attested fact of professional golf that the better you get, the higher up the totem pole you go, the better it gets.

Stone's insights were pithy for he also spoke of the loneliness of the long-distance sportsman, the value of strong family support and the inspiration of having someone to look up to, someone to emulate; all the better if that hero is kind and helpful.

'We South Africans demand the highest levels from our sportsmen. We have such a rich history of achievement that mediocrity does not sit well with us. It's a motivating factor to know that people back home are watching on a Sunday afternoon and they're wanting you to do well.

'We have such a deep, deep history and, even at 26 (then, born 20 April 1993), I am aware of giving people something to cheer about and being someone a youngster can look up to; especially when I see the exceptional talent of the players now starting out.

'Ernie Els designed the course where I grew up (The Els Club, Copperleaf) and although, like most of us, I never lacked sporting role models, my icon was Ernie. Whenever my old man (Kevin) and I were chatting around a braai, we would always discuss how good he really is. The thing that makes Ernie so unique and so special is how much he cares for the next generation.

'I remember when I was 16 and I came over to the UK to play a lot of amateur events. I got a phone call from him inviting me to come and stay with him for a few weekends. I really picked his brain. He was so honest and so open – he would come back to you with the most truthful answer you can possibly hope for.'

Did he try to model his method on that of the Big Easy? 'Some parts yes, some parts no. I don't think I'll ever be able to truly mimic his golf swing. I do try to emulate the way that he treats people; especially at an event – he's incredibly good with youngsters.

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'Ernie's image and legacy is probably only 50 percent about golf – he really has changed a lot of lives through this game. My goal is to not only compete with the best, but to leave a legacy. Name another who has done for a disorder what Ernie has done for autism.'

Stone, an intelligent and engaging young man with a ready sense of humour, also spoke of the value of friendship – in his case with someone who is equally well-versed in the challenges of professional sport. His best friend is Aiden Markram, one of South Africa's top cricketers who captained the SA under-19 team that won their version of the World Cup in 2014 and who has captained his country in ODIs. Markram was earmarked as a future captain in the five-day game as well.

'Golf is such an individual sport,' said Stone. 'It gets very lonely. Most people have friends in their professions, but few have a friend who is actually also a pro sportsman. More often than not Aiden and I will have at least an hour-long conversation during a week. Just chatting, venting frustrations, it's so nice to have someone who actually understands.

'Being in the public eye has a downside. You're under a microscope, but it comes with the territory and I think Aiden appreciates me at times and I him. It's a friendship I value greatly. When one or the other of us has a braai we send a picture. We've been pals since we were four years old. When we moved to Pretoria from Rustenburg his dad and mine became good friends. We were at Cornwall College together – then he left in Grade 9 to go to Pretoria Boys High and I stayed.

'The funny thing is that neither of us was very good at the other's sport. I always tease him that if he could make as many runs as he takes shots on a golf course he'd be a superstar!'

LUKE WALKER | PETRI OESCHGER | CARL FOURIE | SHAUN ROY | SUNSHINE TOUR