It is really nice to be in a familiar place, says Porteous

JOHANNESBURG: Haydn Porteous has fond memories of his Joburg Open victory, at just 21, at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington last year.

“It’s a pretty special place to come back to. To drive in and have your own parking spot (a privilege granted to the defending champion) is great. So it’s special to look back to last year,” he said yesterday ahead of this year’s tourna- ment starting tomorrow.

“And before that, through junior golf and amateur golf here at Royal Joburg, it’s really nice to be in a familiar place, and I hope it’s a good week.

“Winning last year got me so much. It just seemed to snowball, really.

“On top of that I got into the Open and got my full European Tour card for two years.”

Having said that, Porteous admits he’s had a tough last six months on tour.

“With the swing changes I’ve been working on. I got a little bit too into the game and maybe a little bit too technical with the golf swing,” he said.

“Then I lost a bit of confidence on unfamiliar grasses and different golf courses and in different conditions on the European Tour. It was tough to play with the sort of confidence I can play with back home.

“This year, I know what I’ll need to do, and hopefully I can build confidence in this new swing that I’ve invested in and I can put a few decent performances together. I sometimes have to remind myself that this is sport.

“I’ve been playing the game for many years now. You can’t learn to hit the ball again. You learn that at a young age and I think sometimes as a professional you can try to get a little bit too perfect – if that makes sense. You try to just overthink the game, instead of just going out there and playing the sport you grew up loving – just enjoying it and smiling.

“You’ve got to keep telling yourself that it’s better than working behind a desk! To stay less technical and to enjoy the game is what I need right now.

“There was a part of me that didn’t believe I was consistent enough to play on the world stage. I would like to consistently be going 10 to 15-under every week.

“I know it sounds like a lot, but if I can get my stroke average to around 70 or 69, that’s a really good season on the European Tour.”

Porteous believes he needs to learn from his mistakes and become more consistent. “Shooting a 67 one day and then battling to a 73 the next is not what I want,” he said.

“I want to be shooting 69 week-in, week-out.

“Golfers will never ever stop looking for something more and that’s me.”