The Kings of Swing

Book excerpt: The Kings of Swing is the intimate and extraordinary story of those South African golfers who have won numerous Major championships – more than any other nation outside of the United States. Their victories were achieved despite decades of sporting isolation and, during the post-apartheid era, in the shadow of possibly the greatest athlete of all time. This is a story of plane, train and car crashes, psychosurgery, a lightning strike, a broken beer bottle, a misplaced marker, a beautiful autistic boy and a scandal that ensnared the country’s most famous sportsman and led to the resignation of a prime minister. It is a story of the power of the mind and the power of the body in this, the most fickle of all sports. It is a story of dramatic highs and lows, of desperate poverty and fabulous wealth. It is a rare glimpse into the extraordinary lives of South Africa’s top golfers ...