Momentum in golf is everything. Both good and bad. It can send you spiralling to the depths of despair as you scrape together a shade under R30 000 in a calendar-year. It can also swing back in your favour in the nick of time, keeping your dream alive for one more year. Just ask Sean Bradley.
People love to hear about others taking the road less travelled in pursuit of their dreams. There is something exciting and enviable about seeing others deviate from the “normal” path of School-Varsity-Degree-Marriage. I have seen it with my brother, Richard, who deregistered from varsity to participate in the first season of The Voice South Africa. The gamble paid off as he went on to win the competition and it gave him a fantastic Launchpad to pursue his dream of being a musician. But what happens when the gamble doesn’t pay off?
While caddying for my friend Zack Van Der Schyff in the 2017 Royal Cape Club Championships, I spotted another of Zack’s friends behind the green, Sean Bradley. Sean, the son of my coach and former Tour professional Wayne had earned his card on the Sunshine Tour just days earlier. After extending my congratulations, I also felt a sense of relief for him ── his gamble had paid off. After finishing matric at Wynberg Boys’ High in 2013, Sean had dedicated the next three years of his life to honing his game for Sunshine Tour Q-school and a shot at the pro ranks. Understandably, he was excited about the prospect of his debut season.
And then just as quickly, the excitement wore off. Four missed cuts in his opening five outings meant he was behind the 8-ball early. Let this sink in for a second. In four months on Tour, the 21-year-old had a meagre R19 140 to show for his efforts… before a single bill was paid. Yes, it was indeed a baptism of fire for the Royal Cape Member. That a further five months passed before he made another cheque, albeit of a paltry R10 000 is proof enough that professional golf is not for the faint-hearted.
It’s ingrained in sports fans to believe in the impossible. Having not made a cut since September at the St Francis leg of the Origins of Golf series, Sean needed a minor miracle to keep his playing privileges for the 2018/19 season. Well, a Top-3 at the season-ending Cape Town Open to be precise. The impossible didn’t happen that week at King David Mowbray as rounds of 71 and 79 consigned him to a return to Q-school. For all of his struggles that year, Sean maintained a commendable demeanour, often stopping for a chat in between holes even as he fought for his employment.
Onto Q-school… A sluggish start saw Bradley sign for rounds of 72-71-77, Sean needed a miracle to earn his card back. On cue, momentum swung back in his favour. A gutsy round of 68 which featured 5 birdies gave him a sniff heading into the fifth and final round. To put his fine play into perspective, only two players bettered him that day.
Showing it was no fluke, Sean got it done when it mattered most, in the final round. A bogey-free 68 saw the 22-year-old vault into a tie for 11th and comfortably keep his card. After making five bogies, a double and a quadruple-bogey over the first three rounds, Sean had been clutch over the final 35 holes, not dropping a single shot.
Having secured his card for the 2018/19 season, Sean will now climb back onto the rollercoaster that is professional sport. Sport is a fickle mistress… Who knows what the future holds?
Photo: South African Golf Association
Free Drop Media 