JO U RNEYS
Cass Alexander ‘Golf looks cool; I’ll try it out’
I played five different sports for South Africa at age-group level, but it was my golf swing that got me a scholarship at St Dunstan’s College and led me to become a golf pro. BY CASANDRA ALEXANDER WITH GRANT WINTER
M Y DAD DIED IN AN ACCIDENT when I was three, so I don’t remember him. My brother Dean is 11 years older. He was a father figure at times, but moved out when he was 17 so it was always me and my mom, Charmaine Hall (my maiden name). They say single parents are superheroes and she has been one for me. I had to help with the cooking and responsibilities of running a home and this taught me to be independent.
● ● ● I was keen to immediately turn professional. Mom said the proviso was that I had to finish in the top 10 of the Sunshine Ladies Tour order of merit. If not, I had to quit and study. I didn’t fancy the thought of that, so I played great and finished third. Now I was eyeing the Ladies Euro- pean Tour (LET) Qualifying School. I needed more than R100 000 to trav- el and attend the various stages. It took six months of fund-raising and help from various people to raise the money. My first time in Europe, and there were 300 women competing for 20 cards. I played out of my skin and finished eighth. I knew then I could make the grade. A big tick in my life. ● ● ● I had hit my first roadblock. I’d earned my card but had no cash left! My husband Adrian, then my boyfriend, lent me R20 000 and told me to trust in my ability, to back my- self. Soon afterwards I finished third behind Ashleigh Buhai in the Canon Ladies Open. I earned R44 000 and
director at St Dunstan’s, a fancy pri- vate school out of our price range. He told me I was talented and offered me a golf and hockey scholarship! ● ● ● Many of the school kids had wealthy parents, and there were costly extra-curricular activities. Mom didn’t want me to be left out, so she paid and paid. I put her in a lot of debt and made a promise to myself back then that I was going to be her retirement plan. ● ● ● No-one in my family played golf, but a friend of my mom took me to a range when I was 11. I enjoyed it and thought ‘this game looks cool; I’ll try it out.’ That was the start of my golfing journey. I improved rapidly
● ● ● I loved my sport growing up in Benoni. I was a better hockey player than a golfer. At age-group level I rep- resented Eastern Gauteng and South Africa at golf, hockey, badminton, netball, and athletics. Badminton was cool, requiring skill and physi- cal fitness. I’ve always loved being fit and strong. At a sports day at St Dun- stan’s College a teacher said. “Here’s a javelin, see how far you can throw it.” I'm so competitive that I broke the school record. By age 14, I was in the first teams, playing alongside 18-year- olds. I wanted to play soccer with the boys, so they put me in goal. Before long I was no longer the goalie but scoring goals. ● ● ● We always had food on the table but there wasn’t much money. Mom worked 9 to 5, yet she made sure I could get to practice and play sport. She sacrificed such a lot. Spending more money on my sports equip- ment than schoolbooks. Her invest- ment in me was massive. My primary school was Farrarmere, and it was never the intention I would attend a private high school. However, I’m 13 and practising my golf at Ebotse Links when this guy approaches me and says he likes my swing. He’s the sports
could pay him back. My first LET year coin- cided with Covid and was about surviving. If it’s sink or swim, I choose to swim as I’m fiercely competitive. I sunk the winning putt to be part of a winning team in Saudi Arabia in November 2020 and earned €27 000, a for- tune in our currency, about R500 000.
and in 2018 I set myself a goal of becoming the No 1 amateur in South Africa, which I did, win- ning the SA Strokeplay at Port Elizabeth Golf Club, and the Limpopo Champs. College golf in the United States was briefly discussed but, even if had I received a scholarship, it wasn't an option. I didn’t want to study.
CASS ALEXANDER
1 WIN: LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
6 WINS: SUNSHINE LADIES TOUR
AGE 26
WORLD RANKING 31
LIVES GAUTENG
12 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
JUNE 2026
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