For Svenn Liebenberg, sussie Mia, Mienke & my mother Marlisa. (Photo: BooYaa/Verskaf)
Not every golfer gets the chance to hold a candle to one of the world’s leading players. And if you are only 11 years old, the moment may feel a little big.
But not for Mienke Liebenberg. This privilege fell to the 11-year-old golfer when she realized after the LIV golf tournament at Steyn City in Gauteng that she was sharing the course with none other than Bryson DeChambeau.
DeChambeau was on the Crushers team (also Charles Howell III, Paul Casey and Anirban Lahiri) that eventually won the team division of LIV golf’s South African tournament. He also reigned supreme in the individual division.
Moreover, the meeting between the ever-popular DeChambeau and Mienke was not just a quick greeting or even just a photo opportunity, but an hour and a half of conversation, guidance and especially encouragement.
“He was not in a hurry at all,” says Mienke. “Even when he actually had to go, he pretended he still had time. He was really nice.”
Mienke has been playing golf since she was two years old and the moment felt natural to her, rather than overwhelming.
Megan Joubert, coordinator of marketing and sales at BooYaa Golf, Mienke Liebenberg and Chantelle van Greune, group marketing and sales at BooYaa. (Photo: BooYaa/Provided)
“It was really nerve-wracking, but so exciting. I was afraid I would hit a bad shot in front of him, but he put me at ease. He even helped me with my putting and said it wasn’t about golf, it was about the trip.”
This is an approach that Mienke is already following.
She exercises almost every day. At home she uses a net to practice her strokes with and is on the golf course several days each week. Because it’s not just about the competition, but also about the experience.
“I like playing with my friends the most – and when I hit good shots!” she said.
During her meeting with DeChambeau, she had her favorite cap, a BooYaa cap, on her head and he drew it for her.
“It’s my favorite brand in my closet. It’s really comfortable and allows you to move. And when you feel good, you play good golf. And when I wear BooYaa, I feel good.”
South African professional player Daniel van Tonder introduced Mienke to the BooYaa brand. He is a player that Mienke likes to watch and whose game made a lasting impression on her.
Mienke’s twin sister, Mia, may not play golf, but she also knows very well where she is going. Mia has a head for business and is already working on her own children’s clothing line called “Little Birdies”. And as sisters do, she gave her own BooYaa cap to Mienke at the LIV Golf event so that she could collect even more signatures.
It is a mixture of ambition, support and perspective that caught BooYaa’s eye.
“Mienke represents everything we love about the game. There is real drive, but also a sense of enjoyment and curiosity. She plays because she loves it and it’s not something you can teach someone,” says Chantelle van Greune of BooYaa Golf.
BooYaa has already invited Mienke to become one of its ambassadors. This is recognition of the way she behaves on the golf course – and elsewhere.
“We are always looking for people who bring real energy to the game,” says Van Greune.
“Mienke already understands what golf is all about. It’s not just about the show, but about the moments, the people and the journey.”
For Mienke, her path is clear: She wants to be nothing but a professional golfer. And cap on the head, she is briskly on her way there.