Player Profiles: Tjaart van der Walt

Tjaart van der Walt

Pretoria born Tjaart van der Walt started playing golf at 14 while on holiday with his family in the USA. In 1992, his final year of high school, he started to pursue a golf scholarship in the USA, but as most university’s quotas were filled, he joined Central Alabama Commnunity College in Alex City on a two year scholarship. After his first year, he was number one on the golf team and went on to achieve All American status in the NJCAA Division.

Van der Walt returned to South Africa and secured his Sunshine Tour card by winning the Q School in 1996. A regular on the Sunshine Tour, Van der Walt returns to SA every year and has maintained a top-30 finish and better on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit for the past eight years. In 2000, he finished third on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit and earned a spot in the American Express World Golf Championships.

After a solid career path from the Golden Bear Mini Tour to the Nationwide Tour, with a year stint on the European Tour, Van der Walt secured his PGA Tour card. He finished second to Brad Faxon in a playoff at the Buick Championship in Hartford, Connecticut but failed to keep his card.

Back to the Nationwide Tour, Van der Walt enjoyed mixed success this season, with his best finish a tie for fifth at the Knoxville Open. He also tied for 11th at the Athens Regional Foundation Classic and 17th at the Albertsons Boise Open.

A journeyman in every sense of the word, Van der Walt has played golf on just about every continent in the world.