Proteas icon AB de Villiers talks to GRANT SHUB about once leading against Rory McIlroy, backing Christiaan Bezuidenhout for a Major and his solitary hole-in-one.
De Villiers, who enjoyed a 14-year international career and was last year inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, also adores golf and first picked up a club at the age of three.
De Villiers grew up in a sports-crazy family and his father, Dr AB de Villiers, was the man who introduced his son to the sport. De Villiers Snr only picked up the game of golf at university, and despite not playing often, owing to his studies in medicine, he reached a one handicap and, according to the younger De Villiers, he was a natural ball-player.
The 40-year-old De Villiers clearly inherited the sporting genes and has a cricket net in his backyard which doubles as a driving range. De Villiers remains addicted to the game but notes that as a father of three young children, his golf often takes a backseat.
‘Golf is not an easy game and it’s very difficult to be consistent if you aren’t playing enough,’ De Villiers tells Compleat Golfer from his home office in Pretoria. ‘I’m a 2.5 index. I was a 0.5 just the other day but I’m going through a bit of a slump as we speak.’
De Villiers says that out of nowhere his driver becomes a problem and his short game is also an issue. The former Proteas top-order batsman puts it down to not practising enough and not really honing his skills.
However, De Villiers quips that he doesn’t want to become too good at golf because he still wants to have nice casual games with friends.
A less casual occasion was when De Villiers partnered with professional English golfer Eddie Pepperell against Rory McIlroy and his father, Gerry, at the 2019 Dunhill Links Pro-Am. De Villiers says he has never been so nervous before a round, with thousands of people following their fourball.
On the 1st hole, De Villiers hit a 4-iron and pulled it a touch but it landed on the green. He then nailed his putt and his claim to fame from a golfing perspective is that, after McIlroy missed his chance for a birdie, he was leading the four-time Major winner by a shot at the Kingsbarns Golf Links after one hole played.
AB de Villiers and Gerry McIlroy
An albatross has never happened for De Villiers but he has hit a hole-in-one. He achieved the feat at Warmbaths (Bela-Bela) when he was 12 and still at primary school. De Villiers, who was playing with his friend Stoffel de Beer that day, takes up the tale …
‘The only other witness was one of the staff members there who was raking the bunker at the time,’ De Villiers recounts with a smile. ‘I called to him before I teed off and said, “Watch out, I’m coming in!” He replied to me, “You can hit.” And the next minute he just dropped his rake to the ground and threw his arms up in the air. I had hit an 8-iron with a nice little baby draw. The ball pitched behind the hole and did a backspin straight in.’
De Villiers reveals that most of his best golfing memories are either from primary or high school when he was playing really well. Back then he was either level par or went under more often than not because his short game was incredibly hot and he found it so easy.
‘My short game now has been a little bit rocky, my putting hasn’t been special and my driver can be erratic,’ says De Villiers, who holds himself to high standards. ‘I rely a lot on my driving iron and hit it pretty straight and long. One of my strengths is distance and, if I do get my game together, I can hit it a long way and get it close to the green.’
De Villiers, who is well-connected within the sporting world, counts South Africa’s top-ranked golfer Christiaan Bezuidenhout as a close mate. He believes the 30-year-old from Delmas is likely closest to breaking the nation’s Major drought on the men’s circuit.
Christiaan’s son, John Christiaan, celebrated his first birthday in November and De Villiers had a few beers with Bezuidenhout, who had returned to Serengeti Golf Estate.
‘We talked about that first Major because I feel he’s our best chance right now. It’s been a while since Ernie Els won The Open in 2012,’ says De Villiers, whose most amusing golfing moment was with Morné Morkel at Humewood Golf Club in Gqeberha.
‘It was raining and very windy that day but the two of us love golf so much we still went,’ De Villiers recalls. ‘The aim of the game was somehow to stay in play and finish the holes with our rental clubs and 12 balls. But I was hitting the ball so poorly in the howling wind and walked the last three holes without a ball! I had red spots on my face and we looked a sorry sight carrying our bags. Morné had a pro bag without a strap so was carrying his like a baby and when he also lost his last ball, we cried with laughter.’
In a previous lifetime, De Villiers had memorable moments on the cricket field. The man, who scored 25 ODI and 22 Test centuries with a highest score of 278 not out in the longest format, was dubbed Mr 360 for his capability to score all around the wicket.
‘All of the hundreds I scored for South Africa were great memories but I most remember the close wins and the special performances as a team,’ says De Villiers, who also captained his country. ‘I loved it when we were in the field and were hunting as a pack.’
De Villiers, who retired from Test and ODI cricket in 2018 after playing his last T20I for South Africa in 2017, says he doesn’t miss cricket and he wouldn’t want to play again. However, one major regret is not winning the 2015 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand and then facing Australia, who he felt were beatable, in that 50-over final.
‘So much hard work and emotion went into that, so cricket-wise it was my lowest low. It had a huge impact on my career and afterwards I told my wife, Danielle, “I don’t know if I can play again.” It was such a big blow but slowly but surely I started finding my feet again and I ticked all the boxes at the backend of my career when the pressure was off.’
– This article first appeared in the Summer 2024-25 issue of Compleat Golfer magazine.
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Article Link: AB de Villiers: Golf is not an easy game