You’d forgive fans watching this week’s American Express and thinking they’ve invited a bunch of NBA basketballers to play in the Pro Am.
That’s because one player making his PGA Tour debut is 6-foot-10 James Hart du Preez.
The 26-year-old South African received a sponsor exemption into the second full-field PGA Tour event of 2022. And although we’re unsure about the nearly seven-footer’s ability to slam dunk, we know he can hit a golf ball a really long way. A really, really long way.
Du Preez led the Sunshine Tour in driving distance with an eye-popping 373.07-yard (341 metres) average.
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – NOVEMBER 25: James Hart du Preez of South Africa tees off on the 15th hole during Day One of the JOBURG Open at Randpark Golf Club on November 25, 2021 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Altitude plays a factor in that figure, but consider that du Preez was 15 yards (13.7m) longer than anyone else on that tour. And next on the list was fellow countryman, Wilco Nienaber, who has already displayed his prodigious driving length on the PGA Tour. So, yeah, this dude can absolutely bomb it off the tee.
Jon Thomson, a 6-foot-9 Englishman who made an ace at last year’s Open Championship, was the previous tallest golfer to tee it up in a PGA Tour event.
There aren’t any photos of du Preez hitting drivers on Getty Images, but perhaps that’s because he doesn’t need to hit driver much. Anyway, here’s a look at his swing that produces the type of speed that you’d see at a long drive contest—despite not appearing to take much effort:
6’10”, 260 lbs, easy 211 mph ball speed and a pure golf swing.
— LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) January 19, 2022
Can’t wait to see James Hart du Preez tee it up this week.: @golfperformance https://t.co/OTMKivjERI pic.twitter.com/DOFyaP9ela
So how’s his game? A variety of injuries have held du Preez back, but he has four career top 10s on the Sunshine Tour, including a runner-up at the 2019 Sibaya Challenge. He’s currently No. 1,319 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Of course, just making the cut in Palm Springs would give him a huge boost in the ranking. Regardless of his finish, though, expect to see him taking some mighty cuts out there this week.
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