A bright future for prodigy
The dreams and aspirations of a young boy from Worcester to fill his father’s golf shoes as well as inherit his golf clubs one day seem to be coming full circle.
Sergio Japhets (13), or rather “Tiger Woods” as he is known among his peers, started playing golf at age 5 and won his first competition at the age of 6.
After spending much of his younger years with his father at the Riverside Golf Club, Japhets picked up a golf club and never looked back.
Since joining Riverside Golf club in 2017 the young boy who looks up to Tiger Woods has won 20 Boland junior championships in the u-13 division between 2017 and 2019.
Recently the Worcester-born teenager won the Boland Champs of Champions in the B-division.
“As a family, we are proud of our son and will always support him with any of his plans for the future,” his father Ruben Adam says.
The De Tuinen Primary School Grade-7 learner who takes after his father is also part of South African Golf Development (SAGDB) where his father coaches.
His affiliation to the programme has been pivotal to his development as a golfer as the programme is seen as the breeding ground for aspiring golf players.
A bright future beckons for the young boy as he hopes to one day go to university and be scouted for the national team.
“Where we live is not optimal for becoming a professional golfer,” Japhets told Standard. “To keep up with other golfers of my age, “I need to compete in big competitions countrywide for me to get the necessary recognition for the national golf team.”
Apart from the dreams and goals he has, the 13-year-old also aspires to play in the PGA tour in America.
A sport such as golf requires one to be mentally fit and his father, who is also his coach, has put in a generous amount of work to ensure he is match fit.
“Before each competition, we always have a mental session at home to discuss the game plan. The next thing we do is focus on ball striking and direction, and lastly but importantly we do the short game practice.”
Japhets will participate in the South African Champ of Champions finals in Midland, Kayalami later this year from 6 to 9 November.