Fast facts:
Social media of choice:
– Instagram: @danielledutoit59
Top goal for 2024 OR Highlight of 2023
– The highlight of 2023: Securing my LET tour card
– Top Goal: Finish Top 20 on the LET Order of Merit and play in a major
Favourite book?
– Fiction: Harry Potter
– Non-Fiction: The Colossal Failure of Common Sense
When did you start playing golf?
– 6 years old
Highlight of career to date:
– Securing my LET tour card
Motto to live by:
– Let your light so shine before others that they may glorify your Father who is in Heaven – Matt 5:16
What are your goals for 2024 and how do you intend to achieve them?
My main goal is to finish Top 20 on the LET Order of Merit. For this to happen I am aiming for a 70-stroke average. In order to achieve both these goals I believe that the biggest improvement I need to make is to make less mistakes and put more consistent rounds together with less bogeys. I fully believe that consistency always triumphs in the end.
What was your most challenging moment of the last year and what did it teach you?
My most challenging moment came at the LET Q-School. After 9 holes in the second round, I was +6 for the round and +6 in total. I knew at that point I was towards the back of the field and if I didn’t do something drastic, I would never achieve my goal of getting my tour card. I managed to turn things around and play 16 under par for the remainder of the tournament, finishing 20th at 10 under par and winning my tour card. In this moment I learned that our minds are the strongest tools we have, and therefore anything is possible if we just believe.
What advice would you give aspiring young golfers who want to make a profession of golf?
Be open to advice and be willing to learn, but NEVER lose sight of who you are and what your strengths are. Your belief in your own abilities is one of your greatest assets.
How did your upbringing affect who you are now?
Our faith has always been at the centre of our family values, but it wasn’t until I finished matric that I gave my life to Christ. I struggled with depression for most of my time in college, but it was the important truth of how much Christ loves us that brought me back from the brink. Today I know that my value as a person is far more than my achievements, it stems from the love we have as a family and the love we have in Christ.
How old were you when you started playing golf and what drew you to the sport?
I started messing around with clubs when I was about 6, but I only really started playing when I was 9. I played every sport you can imagine during my time in school, but golf stuck because it was the most challenging one for me. You can’t hide on the golf course, it’s only you, the ball, and the course, and that to me is the ultimate test of skill.
If you could go back and speak to your 12-year-old self, what advice would you give her?
Don’t rush through life, just enjoy every moment, because you won’t be able to relive some of the very special moments that you get to experience as a kid.
How do you cope with nerves?
I take a deep breath and remember that I’m never alone. I have my team, my family and Christ.
What’s the one improvement or change that you would like to make to the game of golf?
Relief from divots in the fairway!
How do you keep a healthy balance between your personal life and your career?
I have many other interests outside of golf. I play guitar, I love cycling and other sports. But the most important to me is remembering where I came from. I spend a lot of time with the kids at my old high school golf team, playing with them and practising with them, this allows me to remember what a blessing it is to be able to play this game for a living.
If you could play the last round of your life with anyone you choose, who would it be and why?
I’d play with my coach, but I also want my mom and uncle on the bag. Neither of them plays golf but they have always been by my side.
What do you love most about being a professional golfer?
I get to travel the world with some of my best friends and play golf while doing it. What’s not to love?
What advice would you give young women who want to make a profession of playing golf?
Never give up. There will be times where it looks like it makes no sense to keep trying, but nothing worth doing is ever easy.
Who are your role models?
My mom. She is the strongest women I know. She has faced so much adversity in her life and has handled if with nothing but grace and poise. I strive to face adversity in the same manner she has.
Who do you rely on when you’re not playing at your best?
My mom first and foremost. She is the first person I run to for advice and guidance. But also, my coach, Nico van Eeden. He has been by my side since I was 11 and has seen me at my best and at my worst. If there’s anyone who can get the best out of me, it’s these two.
What do you believe can be achieved in the South African women’s golfing fraternity through Investec’s sponsorship of the Investec South African Women’s Open?
The wave of female sport is just starting to sweep the world. With the kind of investment and commitment that Investec has shown to women’s golf in South Africa, combined with the strength and tenacity of South African women, the sky is the limit for women’s sport, and women’s golf in South Africa. I for one am absolutely honoured to be a part of this movement in the most exciting time for women’s sport in history.
Read more about Investec’s Sponsorship here
