SA golf has its own Tiger on the prowl

TIGER WOODS will be at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey from 28 September for the Presidents Cup as a non-playing assistant to US captain Steve Stricker, who also doesn’t play because that’s just how it works in the Cup.

But, providing his visa comes through on time, another Tiger – actually the “original Tiger” – will also be present for the biennial match between the US and the International Team.

Original Tiger? Well, this just happens to be Nick Price’s long-time caddie Tiger Lekhulene , who Price has invited to New Jersey to be an assistant to Louis Oosthuizen’s bag-man, Greg Hearmon, who will captain the International Team’s caddies. Tiger, that’s our Tiger, not America’s, caddies at Randpark in Johannesburg but had to fly down to Cape Town yesterday to apply for a visa.

But, still, why the “original Tiger”? Well, in 1998, a 22-year-old Tiger Woods came to Africa. And one of the first things he wanted to do was to meet the real Tiger. It was Price who helped convince Woods that he needed to experience the Nedbank Golf Challenge. Then, ever the gracious host, Price went on to beat Woods in a thrilling sudden-death playoff for his third and final victory in Africa’s “major”.

Then Woods stepped into the locker room at the Gary Player Country Club and bumped into a fellow wearing a cap he had signed. “Tiger,” Woods said. “I’m Tiger.” “Pleased to meet you, Tiger Woods,” Lekhulene replied with a huge smile on his face, “but you do know I’m the original Tiger!”

Our South African Tiger started working as a caddie at Randpark way back in 1970 at just 11 years old, and hooked up with Price for the first time in 1977 when the South African-born Zimbabwean was still an amateur and used to practise at the course with compatriot Mark McNulty.

Price, the former world No 1 and three-time major winner is now 60-years-old, and plays little golf these days. But when in SA he still has the wiry, 58-year-old Lekhulene on the bag, as the pair have become like brothers.

“We’ve won over 15 tournaments together,” says our Tiger. “And what fun we’ve had. We laugh a lot on the golf course, and my job, besides helping with club selection, wind direction and the like, was often to keep him calm although Nick always had a fantastic attitude and I’ve never seen him throw a club,” adds Lekhulene who has also looped for, among others, David Feherty, Simon Hobday, Des Terblanche, Ian Palmer, Sally Little and McNulty.

Lekhulene lists Price’s 1998 “Million Dollar” win at Sun City as a highlight of their time together. That year Price and Woods both totalled 273 – 15-under – with Tiger making dramatic birdies at the last two holes of regulation play (knocking in a 15-footer at 17 and chipping in at 18 from about 20 feet) to take play into extra time amid thunderous applause from the massive gallery. With tension mounting all the time, the two players then halved the first four holes of sudden-death (16, 17 and 18 then back to 16) before the “original Tiger” handed Price his putter at 17, and watched in wonder as his man dropped a Million Dollar putt from 10 feet for victory.

Lekhulene, incidentally, has three soccer-mad sons and the youngest, 16-year-old Tiisetso, has just completed a successful trial with Orlando Pirates’ Under-17 squad. And Tiger is an institution at Randpark, which was why Francois Swart, the club’s general manager, was happy to fly him down to Cape Town for the visa application. “We’re very proud of his achievements. He really is a Tiger of note.”