At 6’9″ tall and 260 lbs, South African James Hart du Preez already has a significant physical advantage over most of his Tour peers. His ball and club speed is astronomical, enabling him to bomb 400 yard drives. Hitting the ball that far should make the game a piece of cake, right?
Not so fast. In his PGA Tour debut at The American Express in January, Du Preez fired rounds of 76-74 to miss the cut and finish near the bottom of the leaderboard. So what gives?
On this week’s episode of Off Course with Claude Harmon, Du Preez explained why being one of the game’s longest bombers is a huge advantage, but there is another specific area of the game he needs to hone if he wants to get in the mix on the PGA Tour.
“My off weeks are really off, because of [my speed],” Du Preez said. “The margins at those speeds are so small, that when you’re off, it’s like, whoa. It’s not in the right semi-rough this week, it’s like, okay, do we have enough golf balls?
“Do I feel that I’m getting better? Yes. But let me rephrase that: I know what I need to get better at.”
Du Preez says he has learned to accept the kind of player he is.
“I think the ingredients I have as a player will make me one of the best in the world,” he said. “I truly believe that. People might think that’s arrogant, but if you don’t back yourself, no one else is gonna. I hit the ball really far. I’m learning to hit it straighter, and I putt unbelievably well. My first year on the Sunshine Tour, I led the Tour in putting stats.
The surprising downside of being one of the game’s longest bombers
“So those two ingredients of being able to hit it far and putting really good. I think the dispersion in the iron game could get a little tighter,” he continued. “What I’ve learned the last two weeks is, it’s not a skill thing, the difference between where I am now and where I know I’ll be. It’s the ability to play with freedom.”
Du Preez said players like Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm and Collin Morikawa’s ability to perform under pressure is simply better than anyone else’s, and they play without a fear of consequences.
“They play with pure freedom, and allow their talent and natural ability to come out on the course,” Du Preez said. “That is a separator. It’s not a technique thing, because otherwise, every top 20 player in the world would have the same swing.”
For more from Du Preez, including the eye-popping distance he hits each club and the downside of being such a long hitter, check out the full interview below.