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Golfer shares his international experience

by Bill Dyer

Being in the right place at the right time can pay off, as was proven when Zimbabwean golfer Brendon de Jonge met Virginia Tech Head Golf Coach Jay Hardwick at the Orange Bowl International Championship in Miami, Fla., in January 1999.

"I knew of Brendon through a former player, Sean Farrell, who is from the same hometown in Zimbabwe" says Hardwick, who saw de Jonge play at the tournament. "He made shots that were mature past his age. I thought he was a 'can't miss' player."

De Jonge, who is now a sophomore at Tech, grew up in Harare and began playing golf at the age of seven. With the help and encouragement of his father and older brother, he became his country's top junior golfer. In 1999 alone, de Jonge won the Zimbabwe National Amateur Championship and was named Player of the Year by the Zimbabwe Golf Association. Luckily for Hokie fans, that was just the beginning.

De Jonge opened his Tech career with an eighth place finish at the G. Gunby/Jordan Intercollegiate, one of the most prestigious events in collegiate golf. By the end of the year, he had eight top 30 finishes.

"Back home, you would play an event with 20-30 good players" de Jonge says. "Here, it's a totally different story. Everyone you play against is good. The depth of good players in a tournament is the major change."

Hardwick notes that de Jonge's international experience made his transition to playing college golf easier. "He brought with him a wealth of experience that others have not had" Hardwick says. "Our players were aware of that experience and it gave them a lot of confidence to get to the level we've achieved this year and last."

Although de Jonge has only been able to return home twice since he has been at Virginia Tech, and probably won't see his family again until July, his teammates help make up for that.

"Our players are a close-knit group and Brendon is a major part of that" Hardwick says. "I'm proud of the way our players make sure he has a place to go and friends to be with on the holidays."

De Jonge agrees. "We all get on very well. We spend time together and we all have a lot of fun."

The team's cohesiveness seems to have carried over to its performance. It concluded the season by winning the 2001 Big East Conference Golf Championship, the university's first non-football Big East title and the first by any sport since the university was granted full membership at the beginning of the 2000-2001 academic year.

As impressive as the Hokies' season has been, the future looks even more promising: Tech has no seniors in the starting lineup, and with a solid group behind the top five returning, next year may be even better for Tech.

"I definitely think we can be a national contender, if not this year, then next" de Jonge says.

Editor's note: On June 2, the 17th-seeded Hokies took 8th place in the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships at the Duke University Golf Club in Durham, N.C. Brendon de Jonge led the Hokies, shooting a four-day total of even-par 288, and finished tied for 22nd place. This was the Hokies' second-best finish in the NCAA and their best finish since the advent of regional play.