A young golfer who aspires to turn professional one day has become a regular at the Oshakati Golf Club.
Leo Frans is a 14-year-old pupil who is currently attending Ongwediva Control Combined School.
Although still relatively young, Frans says he was inspired by his brother, who was also playing golf and eventually won medals.
He started fine-tuning his golf skills in 2018, and in 2019, he entered the junior golf tournament under the leadership of his coach, Dawid Johannes, with whom he developed a tight training schedule.
“Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday I go to school; Friday after school, I come to golf and practise; Saturday practise; Sunday school; and that’s how I do it. The first time I started golf as a beginner, I thought that when I hit the ball for the first time, it was going to go in the hole, and then from there, I was going to get medals, trophies, and awards.” Frans said.
Frans already dreams big and wants to one day represent Namibia on the international stage too.
He added ” I want to become a professional golfer—an international one who plays for Namibia—because I know a lot of people that play for Namibia from our club. For example, Nelson Johannes, who just came from Uganda last month, went to play for Namibia, and he got a lot of stuff. He got a new bag. As you see here, I don’t have a new bag, and it’s not mine. I wish I could also have a new bag and new stuff”.
Frans praised his mother for setting up a proper schedule for him to be able to give his best in both school and golf, saying that he is doing great in school but still has a long way to go in his pursuit of a tangible golf career.
He believes that if he turns pro one day, he will owe everything to the Oshakati Golf Club, his coach, and his parents.
NBC Sport also spoke to coach and club caretaker Dawid Johannes, who had nothing but admiration for Leo Frans’ discipline and hard work.
“Leo Frans is becoming a champ because I remember when I took him the last two weeks to Tsumeb, he played very well, and also our club champs, he performs very well; he beat the club champ of the junior champ in 2023. He’s got enough time before he reaches 19, and to me, I think if he takes it the way I thought he would, he will go and make it like Nelson ” coach Johannes said.
Frans’ motto is: Take everything serious in sport, so you can go far.
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