AFRICA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

February 23, 2024

Altin van der Merwe

Quick Quotes

Q. Altin, how would you rate your performance today? How did it go for you?

ALTIN VAN DER MERWE: Look, I started very well, but I would say through the turn, through 9 and 10, 11, it was pretty poor. I would say I lost focus. We were three good friends playing together, so we tried to build each other up. All of us had good holes and all of us had bad holes, just the one more than the other.

After my start, I wouldn't say -- I tried to go I think a bit more aggressive, and it bit me around the corner, and the putts just didn't fall today. Obviously I'm expecting them to fall like yesterday.

When I ran it over the lips a couple times, I got frustrated. Yeah, just wasn't my day today.

Q. Still very much in contention going into tomorrow. What do you do tonight, just reset and think about how you approach tomorrow?

ALTIN VAN DER MERWE: Yeah, as Ivan said, we've got the same routine every day. We get home, we go for a swim and we play around in the water with a little ball and play some table tennis and just relax with our sports and go to dinner and get a good night's rest, and next morning the same thing.

Q. I know you are a bit frustrated with some of the round today, but what were the key highlights for you?

ALTIN VAN DER MERWE: Actually the key highlight was Ivan's drive on 11. He just bombed it, a bullet down there, and pitched it in the upslope, absolutely perfect. I don't think you can hit it any closer with a driver to that flag.

But I would say for me, it was the putt on 12. It's the longest putt I've made there the whole week, and getting a couple shots on Ivan there, even though I gave it back the next hole, was nice for the moment.

Q. How did you get into golf?

ALTIN VAN DER MERWE: I started golf with my dad and my uncle. We just got a couple clubs at our range called Wagner's in Durbanville, and from there on, I just swung the club. I was about six or seven. Then after that, my dad bought me a Tiger Woods PC game, which I stayed up until 2:00, 3:00 in the mornings playing. I just mimicked his swing off the laptop in front of me. Looked in the mirror, took some videos and off I went.

My dad never helped me start it, but he's helped me maintain it, so he was my coach as a kid, and then obviously now I've got my own coach, but he still knows a lot about my game.

Q. Who was your golf inspiration growing up?

ALTIN VAN DER MERWE: My inspiration is Tiger Woods.

Q. What's your favorite hole and why?

ALTIN VAN DER MERWE: It's 13. It's just a great par-5. Even though 18 is also a beautiful par-5, I just hate it. But 13 is beautiful. You have to hit this beautiful draw, and even though you're standing there with an 8- or 7-iron and it's still a daunting second shot and you can easily make 3 or eagle or birdie, bogey or double. Anything can happen on that hole. Very good hole.

Q. If you were to win tomorrow, how would it feel to lift the trophy?

ALTIN VAN DER MERWE: Awesome. I think I would have to hold my emotions in. I'm not trying to think about that now. First got to do some chasing against two good friends. It's going to be tough, but there's going to be no mercy between us when it comes to golf, so I think we're all going to go for it.