BRYAN HABANA EXCLUSIVE: “I played a hole with Rory and Tiger. I’ve never been so nervous in my life”

Bryan Habana celebrates with Hideki Matsuyama at The Challenge: Japan Skins in 2019.

Widely regarded as one of the best rugby players of all time, South African flyer Bryan Habana is hooked on golf. Find out what the game means to him, the challenges of growing participation in Africa, and the transferable lessons that helped him become one of the game’s greatest try scorers.

In the swanky rafters of the MasterCard Patron’s Pavilion that towers above the 16^th fairway at Royal Troon, I waited anxiously for my first sighting of the Springbok legend.

An IRB Player of the Year, the first player of color to reach 100 caps for his country, and the World Cup record try-scorer. If rugby union had a Big Five, Bryan Habana would be right in the mix – no question.

He emerges – chest first, then body. It’s exactly how I remember him from his playing days. ‘Pretty sure he could still cause some damage today,’ I thought to myself.

‘Pleasure to meet you’, I say as he carves away at the Jamón, sheltered from the South Ayrshire gusts that are making the world’s best golfers look a bit silly. It’s lunchtime, and despite being pulled away from watching his fellow countryman Thriston Lawrence climb the yellow leaderboard, he shows genuine warmth as we sit down.

I had expected a good dose of charisma from watching his punditry, but not necessarily the quiet assertiveness with which he conducted himself. From watching him charmingly interact with the hospitality staff, to conscientiously dialing down the volume on the screen above us so we could have a productive interview. He was in control of his environment. A leader.

Wingers in rugby are rarely captains, often at the end of the food chain when it comes to the decision-making typically undertaken by those patrolling the breakdown and pulling the distribution strings. That’s not how Habana played his rugby though. Interceptions, open-field turnovers, aerial dominance, smart defense, and gas to burn. Playing in a very conservative power-focused Springboks side, Habana had to be adaptable, opportunistic, and clinical.

Attributes that combined with a strong business acumen developed from running a successful fintech company, and his evident ability to engage with people, I quickly understood why the R&A snapped him up as a Global Development Ambassador. But how did his love for golf blossom? It’s where I started our conversation.

Becoming hooked

“When I became a full-time professional rugby player, golf became that one opportunity to really break away. It was an outlet, a hobby. Golf has so many fascinating things going for it. There are very few things like it that can just calm you. Even though there’s competitiveness, there’s also a great sense of social interaction while being out in this incredibly beautiful and aesthetically pleasing place.

“I was playing Dundonald Links this morning with Dan Carter. So tough, so demanding, you’re off the fairway, can’t find your ball. But It’s all about that one shot that keeps you coming back. I’ll be the first to say I absolutely love the sport even though I’m absolutely atrocious from a skills perspective. I’ve walked 12,870 steps already today, and I had a golf cart. That tells you everything you need to know about my golf.”

• Golf World Top 100 Golf Courses in Scotland.

I was skeptical about the interpretation of ‘atrocious’ by one of the greatest athletes of the 21^st century, but went along nonetheless, and was pleased to find some common ground with our approach to warming up.

“I know you should go to the driving range, should work on the putting green, all these things. But I’ve probably got between 10-15 good shots per round, so I don’t want to waste them on the driving range. For me, it’s all about whether I can make those 10-15 shots more like 15-20 and lower my score by a few shots. Yes, I get frustrated about letting myself down, my partner down, but I know I’m not putting in the work so I can’t use that as a barrier to not enjoying the game of golf.”

I was keen to understand his perceptions of the transferable skills between the two sports and whether he was able to draw on golf’s strengths as a tool to continually improve his rugby.

“It’s a great release and chance to switch off, but it also has this teaching ability. When I was going through a bad patch, golf provided that outlet, but also an opportunity for me to see how I could get better and develop tools that allowed me to change strategy and do things differently.

• Why golf is good for your mental health.

“For example, after you’ve hit a bad shot, how can you mentally rectify that and make the next shot better? It’s also a key ability in rugby, that ‘next job mentality’ that allows you to get over the frustration of an error and focus on the next task. As Ted Lasso says, ‘The best sportspeople are like goldfish’.”

That’s probably where I’m going wrong then.

Habana called time on a glittering career as part of Toulon’s Galacticos in 2018 having scooped up two consecutive European Cups alongside the likes of Jonny Wilkinson and Matt Giteau. At Test level, Habana finished with 67 tries in 124 appearances including a 2007 Rugby World Cup winner’s medal at the expense of England. Rugby complete.

Stepping up to the tee in golf, however, has a funny knack of making the knees knock no matter who you are, particularly if you’re playing partners happen to have 20 Majors between them!

“I’ve played a hole of golf with Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, and Hideki Matsuyama, and I’ve never been so nervous in my life. There were 2,500 people around the green on a par-3. At no point in my rugby career was I as nervous. Facing the Haka, and playing in the Rugby World Cup final, nothing in my life had ever been so stressful.

“I was just so uncertain about what was going to happen in that 1.2 seconds that I swung the golf club. I have a classic photo of Mike Tindall with his phone in hand ready for me to absolutely shank it into someone’s face, and Tiger Woods laughing his head off.”

Inspiring a nation

Today, Habana has carried his on-field success into the world of business as the Co-Founder and Chief Client Officer at fintech firm Paymenow Group. He was thrilled earlier in 2024 however, to have been approached by the R&A to take on a golf development role in which he aims to act as a catalyst for the growth of golf across the African continent.

“In Africa in particular, we still have a lot of struggles. There’s a need for a lot of financial resources to be able to do things. Golf is seen as an elitist sport, expensive, and in Africa that gap is magnified even further. Some people are using their last bit of money to buy food to survive which is why R&A outreach programs are so important, teaching kids that golf is a cool game, it’s fun, and you don’t need the best clubs in the world to hit a golf ball.

“The R&A are working to help people understand that golf isn’t just about the elite professionals on tour or being a member of a club. It’s my role as an R&A Global Ambassador to advocate the great things the game has to offer like being able to get out into nature, and learn the skill sets, and not necessarily on an 18-hole golf course, but through all the new non-traditional formats of the game too. Make golf awesome again.”

Habana, like many Springboks to come, was inspired by South Africa’s iconic 1995 World Cup victory over New Zealand where President Nelson Mandela – donned in green and gold – presented captain Francois Pienaar with the William Webb Ellis trophy.

‘Thank you for what you have done for South Africa,’ Mandela had said. ‘We could never do what you have done for South Africa,’ replied Pienaar to his president, formerly jailed for 27 years for political activism. It felt like a fresh start for a nation torn apart by Apartheid, inspiring future generations of kids to dream explains Habana who had never played a game of rugby before that era-defining 1995 World Cup final.

“That final changed my life, and Siya Kolisi (back-to-back World Cup-winning captain), is doing the same thing for South African kids today. He has become a global superstar because of the authentic story he’s been able to tell. When I was winning the World Cup in 2007, he was watching that match in a shebeen in a rural township because his father wasn’t present and his mother died when he was 16, that was his only opportunity to get an inkling of hope.”

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It’s why role models are so important, particularly in countries with such segregated populations such as South Africa with a multitude of ethnicities and 12 official languages. He reminds me that the Springboks have just had their first Muslim captain, Salmaan Moerat, another step towards making rugby relatable for almost each and every South African.

“40 years ago if you had told people that they would be falling about laughing. That’s where coach Rassie Erasmus has been incredible, letting the Springboks become a storybook for South Africa.

“Golf needs those role models too. Africa has this boiling pot of opportunity, but if you don’t provide adequate resources, time, and effort to help people believe golf is a wonderful game, you’re not going to grab that opportunity. It’s one of the greatest desires of the R&A to ensure we capture it.

“When you have an Ernie Else, Louis Oosthuizen, Charles Schwartzel, Retief Goosen winning a major championship – it lets kids dream. When you’re a young boy or girl, to be able to have those role models and inspirational figures is crucial. South Africa hasn’t had a major champion for a while now and the continent does need heroes to inspire the belief that golf can become a profession.

“Through events like the African Amateur Championship, we can help kids visualize a pathway to going on to compete at an Open Championship. To be able to see those from within the African continent that would never previously have been in a position to consider teeing off in an Open is so important.”

Bryan Habana is a Global Development Ambassador for the R&A. Find out more about how they’re growing the game through key projects here.

Quick-fire with Bryan Habana:

Handicap: 16-17

Childhood hero: Jonty Rhodes (South African cricketer)

Favorite current rugby winger: It’s hard to look past what Makazole Mapimpi did in 2019, becoming the first South African to score a try in a World Cup final, and what that meant to so many people.

PGA or LIV: I’m a bit of a romantic when it comes to sports. I love 5-day test cricket for example. I don’t understand LIV too well, but there’s a good and bad with everything.

The closest feeling in golf to scoring a match-winning try: Must be a hole-in-one…but I’ve never had one.

Favorite try: The one I scored on debut with my first touch of the ball in international rugby in 2004 against England at Twickenham.

Proudest moment: Making my Springbok debut. Having gone through all the effort that you, your family, and your support network put in to get you to that point. It became a point of realization of how incredible the honor was of representing my country. It’s just a shame we got pulverized 32-16 that day.

About the author

Ross Tugwood – Senior Digital Writer

Ross Tugwood is a Senior Digital Writer for todays-golfer.com, specializing in data, analytics, science, and innovation.

Ross is passionate about optimizing sports performance and has a decade of experience working with professional athletes and coaches for British Athletics, the UK Sports Institute, and Team GB.

He is an NCTJ-accredited journalist with post-graduate degrees in Performance Analysis and Sports Journalism, enabling him to critically analyze and review the latest golf equipment and technology to help you make better-informed buying decisions.