About that 439-yard drive ...

A young South African shows there's another way to achieve massive distance off the tee

April 7, 2000. The second round of the Masters was being played. Half-a-world away, Wilco Nienaber was born in South Africa.

Why is this pertinent? On Sunday, Nienaber took the 54-hole lead into the Joburg Open. He was seeking to become the second player born this century to win a European Tour event. Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard (born March 12, 2001) incredibly already has two wins. On the PGA TOUR, no player born in the 2000s has won; the closest is Matthew Wolff (born April 14, 1999), who won the 3M Open last year.

Although Nienaber stumbled with bogeys in his final two holes to finish second to another Danish winner, Joachim B. Hansen, it was a very impressive effort for someone so young.

Another thing that perhaps only interests me? His first name. I’m a fan of the alternative band Wilco, formed in 1994. Had his parents named him after the Grammy-winning group? Given that Wilco’s breakthrough album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, did not come out until 2001, it was only wishful thinking. Plus, Wilco’s father is named Willem, and Wilco is a variation of that. Still … great first name. The marketing folks are loving it.

Of course, the most interesting thing Wilco Nienaber gave us last week was his 439-yard drive at the par-5 fourth in the first round at Randpark. It left everyone gushing, including the commentators.

“Absolutely mind-numbing.”

“Borderline obscene.”

“Freakish.”

On the Golf Channel, analyst Damon Hack said, “I’m widely impressed but also slightly horrified. Can I be of two minds on this? The fan in me says wow, this is so cool. But part of me feels like Roy Scheider in 1975 [in the movie ‘Jaws’] when he sees the great white shark for the first time and says, ‘Guys, we’re gonna need a bigger boat.’ But this is where we are, though.”

Had the drive not rolled into the rough, Nienaber may have broken the European Tour record of 447 yards set by Nicolas Colsaerts – the “Belgium Bomber” -- six years ago. It’s the second longest drive on either the European or PGA Tour this calendar year; Justin Thomas had a 449-yarder at the WGC-Mexico in February.

“I guess it was a decent drive,” Nienaber shrugged afterward. By the way, he averaged 416 yards off the tee in the first round.

To be fair, the eye-popping drives by both Thomas and Nienaber came at altitude – approximately 7,600 feet in Mexico and 5,700 feet in Johannesburg. Anything reaching that distance is likely receiving some aid, whether in elevation, a severe downward slope or a friendly bounce off the cart path.

The knee-jerk reaction was, of course, to compare the long-hitting Nienaber to Bryson DeChambeau, who has packed on Mr. Universe-type muscle to help increase his distance off the tee. DeChambeau’s longest drive in 2020 came at the Travelers Championship in June with a 428-yarder on the 10th hole in the second round. Both players average around 337 yards per drive on their respective Tours this season, but Nienaber is slender and doesn’t swing with the kind of viciousness that DeChambeau does.

Nienaber, in one of his Instagram posts, once explained how he hits it so far: “Obviously born in 2000, and in 2000, there has been quite a bit more technology than most of the guys on Tour had when they were born. And I’m pretty tall and I’ve got long levers, so if I just hit the middle of my Ping driver, the ball goes pretty far. There’s nothing secret I can share.”

Although some anti-Bryson types might take pleasure in Nienaber’s more “simplistic” approach, really, it just illustrates that there are simply different ways to achieve length. DeChambeau, who is not naturally the most gifted golfer– hence his relentless work ethic and detailed scientific approach -- has found what suits him. Meanwhile, Nienaber has honed his talent, an admirable achievement for someone so young.

Considering his close call at Joburg, two other top-10 finishes on the European Tour this season, and the fact that he’s moved from 1,659th in the world to start 2020 to his current status at 209th, it’s obvious that Nienaber is much more than a distance freak.

“Every time I’m interviewed, someone speaks to me about how far I hit the ball,” he said earlier this year. “Now I just smile because to me, my distance is just something I’m used to. I do think by hitting it quite far, it’s easy not to look at the rest of my game, but that’s not what gets the ball in the hole, so I’d like to think people are appreciating other parts of my game.”

So that brings me to one last point of interest: Nienaber vs. DeChambeau. I’m not just talking medal play, but a one-on-one match play contest. Muscle vs. Muscle. When will it happen?

If Nienaber continues his quick rise up the world rankings, maybe at next year’s WGC-Match Play if the draw unfolds in the right order. Or perhaps one of the following years. But let me also suggest this scenario: Sunday Singles at the 2022 Presidents Cup.

Yes, it’s a long ways off before the teams are finalized. DeChambeau figures to represent the U.S. for many years, so he should be at Quail Hollow. Nienaber is a bigger question and may need further seasoning. But he’s a superstar in the making, and he may be ready for the big stage sooner than expected. As fellow European Tour pro Ross Fisher tweeted, “He’s got soo much more in the tank!”

With fellow South African Trevor Immelman set as the International team captain, would it be that much of a surprise to see him take a flyer on his big-hitting countryman? Besides, a continued transfusion of young talent may be just what the Internationals need to break the American hex; it almost worked, after all, at Royal Melbourne last year with Abraham Ancer and Sungjae Im.

For now, though, let’s just enjoy what Wilco – both the golfer and the band – have to offer.

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FULL DISCLOSURES

>>My wife is South African, born and raised in the Cape Town area, and I consider it my second home. So while I’m partial to South African golfers, I’ll try to take a measured approach with my coverage. Still, couldn’t ignore Nienaber’s tee shot and developing story in Joburg.

>>By the way, Nienaber is from Bloemfontein, one of South Africa’s three national capitals (the others being Cape Town and Pretoria). I have not been to his hometown but once met some lovely people from there during a wine-tasting event in Stellenbosch.

>> Want to listen to a Wilco song? Try “She’s a Jar.”