First published in Compleat Golfer May 2024 edition
His share of fourth in the Vodacom Origins of Golf Final at Pezula matched his best performance of the 2023-24 season on the Sunshine Tour to date, but it meant a whole lot more for Nikhil Rama than the two other times he shared fourth and the other two top 10s.
It’s been a really solid first half of the season, with five top-10s on the Sunshine Tour (and one on the Altron Big Easy Tour). “It’s been a good start to the season,” agrees Rama. “Pezula stands out right now as it was a qualifier for the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, and with the top-five finish it also got me into the Joburg Open. And over the next few months there’s lots more golf to come with the co-sanctioned tournaments with the DP World Tour and the Challenge Tour.
“For me, my favourite moment so far has been about competing with the top golfers of South Africa and some from around the world. Two things about that: the adrenaline and experience are both priceless.”
Part of what made that week at Pezula special was the way he carved out a superb seven-under-par 65 in the second round in tricky winds. It was his best round on the Sunshine Tour, and it showed off the full range of his abilities and skills.
“Golf is a funny game,” he says. “My ball striking was phenomenal during the second round and I gave myself some close birdie chances which I managed to convert.
“But I had to tell myself that every round is a new round and it’s all about momentum and confidence. If I keep the momentum and confidence up the results will show.”
He was able to get the season going with some momentum and confidence right at the beginning of the season in the Zanaco Masters in Lusaka, Zambia, where his share of 10th showed something of what lay ahead.
“Yes, that was a good result and a confidence builder,” Rama agrees. “Zambia was my second top-10 result on the Sunshine Tour. A good result right at the beginning of the season helps jump start your ranking as a category 9 player and it was good to see the work I put in during the off season come together.”
It has been quite a journey for Rama to get into the position in which he now finds himself – as it is for by far the majority of players plying their trade on the Sunshine Tour. And starting out in the 2020-21 season, with all the effect that the COVID-19 lockdowns had on all spheres of life didn’t make his rookie season any easier. But he managed to finish 87th on the Order of Merit in that severely curtailed season, and then 76th and 75th in the following two seasons – all in a tough environment.
“The Sunshine Tour is a very competitive environment,” says Rama. “Performing well is not easy at all. Every individual on this tour has something special in them – they have to have that in order to just get their tour card. You cannot discount anyone. Every single player has the ability to win every single time we tee it up.”
Despite that knowledge, Rama has won nearly R1-million in his short time on the tour, and, while that might not be a lot in the world golf environment where some players are rewarded way beyond reason, it’s not bad for a fledgling career. “A million,” he laughs. “It feels like minus a million based on all the expenses incurred. I’m glad my dad manages that side of things for me and I can just focus on my golf.”
His father has been something of a guiding force behind his professional career, when the younger Rama felt nervous about taking that big step. “My dad provided the push behind my decision to take the step of turning pro,” he says. “I was still looking to compete as an amateur for one more year and he persuaded me to try and secure my card on the Sunshine Tour. I was very nervous and his comment to me was, ‘Whatever happens, positive or negative. you have my support. We will get through it together,’ and so far he has kept to his word even through some tough financial times.”
That’s a critical part of the complex support system that professionals need to build around themselves.
“My family – my dad Mitesh, my mom Varsha and my sister Rhea – family is the reason I am able to do what I love,” says Rama. “The rest of my family and friends – they know who they are – support me through bad or good rounds. They are always messaging with words of encouragement. They have also supported me financially whenever I need them.
“Hendrik Buhrmann is my golf coach and always a phone call away, day or night.
“I have signed up with RTW Services. I know how difficult it is to secure your Sunshine Tour card and once you have it that’s not the end. The financial cost to compete comes at you at a rapid pace. RTW Services has the same passion that I have and they are working tirelessly to help players focus on their golf with fewer financial burdens. I experienced the challenges early in my tour life. But with my engagement and partnership through RTW Services, who are hoping to help future and upcoming talented golfers, things have started to feel a little easier.
“And local clothing company ITU Golf Wear has come on board with me and been very supportive on my journey.”
Without that kind of support, it’s easy to overcomplicate life as you worry about keeping your head above water. It’s not like that now for Rama. “I have simplified the journey,” he says. “Now, it’s travel, practice, compete, miss or make the cut, and then start all over again.”
After his opening season, which he doesn’t really count because of COVID-19, all the pressures which are brought to bear on young players had their effect on him. “My aim was to secure my card, and finishing 76th met my goal,” he says. “In my second season, my expectation was to finish inside the top 50. I ended up 75th on the Order of Merit as I struggled towards the end of the season.
“Now all the support is coming through this season, my plan is to finish in the top 50 so I can compete in the season-ending Tour Championship at Serengeti.”
He’s well on course for that, inside the top 25. “I hope to keep the momentum over the next few months to the end of the season and finish on a high. I try not to make huge plans. What I have learnt over the past few years is that you can’t get ahead of yourself. This game can humble you and bring you to your knees.
“The tough part was all the travelling. It takes a huge toll on the body especially when your game is struggling. Mentally, it can break you down. Financially it also becomes tough, especially when you miss a few cuts in a row and the expenses pile up.
“The good part has been finding consistency in my game. Having some good finishes is such a confidence booster. I feel I have the ability to win on tour. I just have to keep grinding and see what happens.
“There is such an enormous amount of talent on this tour. A top 25 for after the season will be nice, and the cherry on top would be to get a win under my belt.”
The exciting thing for Rama is that he’s taking the momentum and confidence that has been building into a stretch of big tournaments on the Sunshine Tour. “In the DP World Tour and Challenge Tour events scheduled for South Africa, I am hoping to get some good results. That should gain me some status to compete a few times in Europe.
“Other than that, I will try my skills on the Asian Tour. I plan to play in their qualifying school in January 2024 during our Sunshine Tour break.
“My purpose of going to that event is to go and experience Asia with no expectations burdening me. It’s the same mindset my dad backed me with when I got on to the Sunshine Tour.
“I’m not going to rush into anything. Everything I do will be based on my performance and results in the next few months.”
With six top-10s in his short career so far – including the four so far this season – it’s easy to believe that the performance will lead to the kinds of results that will back up the belief that has underpinned his professional career so far.
