He doesn’t have a foot in any camp. And he has a great record of bringing people together.” Indeed, Rupert has many admirers beyond those running tours. Sky Sports commentator and former European Tour player Ewen Murray is another long-term admirer. “Johann is not the sort of guy who tells you what he has done behind the scenes, he just does it,” says the Scot. “The kids in South Africa have a winter tour and summer tour. So many are good players who have a chance to develop because of Johann. It’s all very well him saying to youngsters he can get them starts in pro events. That’s the easy part. For him anyway. But developing them properly is difficult. He looks at the talent. He looks at the character of the person. And he is colour-blind in that respect. “He keeps an eye on them all until he thinks they are ready to get a chance. And he’s been doing that for 30 years. Ernie Els’ development tour and the foundations of just about every SA player – Johann is involved in them all. He’s one of the most exceptional men I’ve met in golf. When you see so many players at the Dunhill every year, you know it is part of their way of saying ‘thank you’ to him. They know how much he has done. Yet he never talks about his achievements.” Still, amidst the sea of players Rupert has helped over the years, perhaps no one is as much in his debt as Rory McIlroy. Back in 2007 as a newly turned pro, the teenage Northern Irishman received an invitation to the Dunhill Links. By finishing third, he won €211 321, avoided the roulette table that was the upcoming qualifying school and immediately earned his card for 2008 on what was then the European Tour. “The tournaments Johann has put on in St Andrews are one thing,” said the four-time major champion. “He has been a great advocate for the game. The support he has given to South Africans is another thing, of course. So many great players owe a lot to him. I do too. He gave me an invite 17 years ago when he didn’t have to. That week changed my life. I’ll always be grateful.” And so say so many.
He clearly wants to see a global result.” Lawrence, as you might expect, wasn’t the only one who picked up on Rupert’s hardly covert strategy. “Look at the field,” continued Kinnings. “A mixture of DP World Tour players, PGA Tour members and those from LIV and an example of the sort of thing we could have going forward. You can see what Johann is doing. And at the Home of Golf. He is bringing everyone together. He wants to help the process and take the game global. He can see the opportunities we have right now, but he can also see the threats. He wants us to take advantage of the opportunities and leave golf in a better place.” Noble stuff. And Kinnings is not above bragging about how great things have been on the DP World circuit in recent months. But he is justified in doing so. Events like the Alfred Dunhill Links and others have provided a glimpse into an exciting future that could and should encompass the very best from all the current tours. “This is a reminder of what the fans want to see,” Kinnings says. “Johann knows that and sees that. He has great insight. In fact, I’d want Johann in the chair during the current negotiations. He has the stature and commands the respect of everyone. And he’s neutral.
as well as anyone. He understands politics. And, while he is a proud South African, he is a citizen of the globe. He knows people the world over.” To that end and perhaps most importantly, Rupert is known to be in favour of a coming together for the PGA Tour, the PIF and LIV Golf League and, more peripherally, the DP World Tour. Not for him the notion of conflicting and competing major tours playing alongside each other, parallel but never intersecting. “Since I grew up near Leopard Creek, I have long been aware of just how much Johann does for SA golf and the game in general,” said Thriston Lawrence, South Africa’s leading performer on the DP World Tour in 2024. “After I turned pro, I met him through his involvement with Golf RSA. He’s everywhere. He creates so many opportunities for young up- and-coming kids. Kids of colour. Kids who struggle. He helps everyone and tries to give them the chance to pursue their dreams. I appreciate enormously all that he does. “He had a plan in St Andrews to bring everyone together. I smiled when I saw who he had playing together. I have to think he has a finger in the bigger pie too. He has a plan for all the tours to get together and sort out their problems.
2024 ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP Johann Rupert hits a shot (previous page), and shakes hands with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
24 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024
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