After six weeks in South Africa, including a spin on the DP World Tour at the South African Open, my confidence is growing slowly writes Chris Paisley
My 2025 season is now fully underway. I spent five of six weeks competing in South Africa, and the trip began with four mediocre weeks on the HotelPlanner Tour before making the cut at the South African Open on the DP World Tour, which I was able to play in as a past champion.
I missed the first two cuts of the season, both near Johannesburg. After a really positive off-season, this came as a bit of a shock. I suppose the pressure of competition caused some old habits to creep in and my game wasn’t as tight as it had been. I then began to play some nice golf, briefly getting into contention in Cape Town, and then comfortably making the cut in Fancourt. Results-wise, it was a disappointing start to the season, but I saw enough good stuff and I know that I am making progress.
After a week off spent with good friends in Fancourt and Stellenbosch, I headed to Durban for the South African Open. It was quite emotional returning as a past winner after everything I have been through on the golf course in recent years. It was a nice reminder of what I achieved that week in 2018, and seeing my name engraved on the trophy was special. There was a sense of apprehension playing with the big boys again, but I quickly realised that I did not feel out of place. In fact, I felt the opposite.
My long game was really solid in round one, but I had a rare off day with the putter, which added up to a 74 (+2). This left me with a lot of work to do to make the cut. After a rain delay, I played beautifully for twelve holes and was four under-par for the round before play was suspended for darkness. I needed to play the final six holes in two under-par to make the cut. I didn’t miss a shot in those six holes and got the job done – shooting 66 to make the cut on the number. This was a huge moment for me. It wasn’t so much that I had shot the score, it was the manner in which I shot the score. I felt like a proper golfer again!
The conditions in round three were much tougher and I succumbed to them. Durban CC is a wonderful course, but it’s extremely punishing if you’re a little bit off. I finished the week with a round of 70 which was unfortunately cancelled out because the course got flooded later in the day.
The week in Durban was a nice end to the trip. Most of the golf I played showed that I still have what it takes. I am continuing to build on that, and my game and confidence are growing slowly but surely. It feels like the tipping point is close and some big results are on the horizon.
