Jbe Kruger – small man, a big hitter

NEWLY-MARRIED Jbe Kruger, who goes into today’s third round of the BMW South African Open at Glendower very much in contention after a pair of 67s, spent the first 14 years of his life in the tiny Northern Cape wine-growing settlement of Groblershoop, a couple of par-5s distant from the Orange River.

“I played all the sports – I mean every sport imaginable and was a provincial tennis player as a laaitie – and then I started golf on Groblershoop’s little oil and sand nine-hole course,” says this little man (1.66m tall, 62kg in his socks) who could well be the longest hitter, pound for pound, in the world.

Little did he know then where the game would take him, but at the age of 14 he moved to Kathu and was able to shape his game on that fabulous bushveld course at nearby Sishen.

At 18 he moved to Bloemfontein and two years later turned professional, and in the past 10 years has made his presence felt far and wide with victories on the Sunshine Tour, the European Tour and the Asian Tour.

Jbe, now 30, was pumping huge drives of 310 to 315 metres straight down the middle in Thursday’s first-round 67 at Glendower but, he confessed, yesterday’s 67 was totally different.

“I was spraying my teeshots all over the place but the putter was working amazingly well, and I only had 25 putts. Also, being drawn with Graeme Storm (the Englishman fired a fantastic course-record 63 to take the clubhouse lead at midday yesterday) and watching him play so well got me inspired to go low.”

His new bride, he says, is also a source of inspiration to him and bringing a smile to his face as he strides the fairways. Two weeks ago Kruger tied the knot with Denise, who had been his girlfriend for a year and a half.

He is also a man of faith, believing it is only by what he describes as “God’s grace” that he has been able to make a success of golf.

“I was brought up in a Christian home but really got a lot more serious about my belief when I was playing in a tournament at Prince’s Grant and needed to finish third to earn enough money to pay for a trip to Korea. I prayed really hard in the last round, shot 64, and did finish third. I reckon God was looking after me.”

So, new wife, hot putter, big drives going down the middle and a little help from Above could be the key this weekend for Jbe (that’s James Barry, incidentally) as he seeks victory and who three years ago, right here at Glendower, finished second in the SA Open to Denmark’s Morten Orum Madsen.

Kruger was told after signing his card yesterday that he was, at that stage, the leading South African in the field.

“I don’t want to be leading South African,” he retorted. “I want to be the leading player overall once the last putt is holed on Sunday.”