Homeless caddie qualifies for Sunshine Senior Tour
Five months ago Llewellyn Barnes was a homeless man living on the streets of Pretoria.
Against all odds, the 59-year-old will participate in a Sunshine Senior Tour event, the Fidelity Pro-Am, on March 16 and 17 at the Country Club Johannesburg.
A difficult childhood
At an early age, Barnes faced several obstacles. His father died when he was 10 and he was separated from his mom and his siblings as she couldn’t care for him on her salary as a domestic worker.
He later found himself living in a hostel on the Zwartkops golf course in Centurion and his sisters were placed in foster care in the Eastern Cape.
It was at Zwartkops where Barnes’ love affair with the game of golf began. In the morning, he would attend school and in the afternoon, he would run to the golf course looking for caddie opportunities.
“I carried my first golf bag when I was only 10 years old. Those days, working as a caddie paid well. I was paid 30c for a day’s work, enough to buy bread and a cold drink. This is where my love for the game started. I dreamed that one day I would become a professional golfer,” said Barnes.
At the age of 13, Barnes ran away from Zwartkops after suffering abuse from both teachers and students and found himself in Durban, sleeping in a kombi and selling newspapers to support himself.
He later learnt that his mother was living in Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape and he did his best to reunite with her.
“I never thought I would see my mom again. When I eventually found her, she was living with another man who didn’t have much time for us. They were always drinking and fighting and I knew I couldn’t stay there.
Read the full story on: News24.