Hammond confident after strong start at Waterkloof

Golf is a demanding sport mentally, and Daniel Hammond says he’s been putting some hard work into that area of his game.

Hammond shot seven-under-par 65 in the opening round of the Big Easy The Roar, co-sanctioned by the MENA Tour, on Tuesday at Waterkloof Golf Club, where he made only a single bogey, Hammond explained what his secret has been. “For me, personally, it’s more of a mental change,” he said. “I felt like I was being a bit despondent out there. So now, I’m just trying to see the glass as half full and stuff, instead of half empty. So, it’s just more of a mental change, to be honest.”

It is still too early to tell who will win The Roar at Waterkloof, but a solid start is always going to give any golfer some relief going forward, and Hammond feels his game can stand the test. “I feel like it’s been coming,” he said, “and, I have been hitting the ball a lot better compared to previous years. I have been putting a lot better so I am feeling a lot more confident.”

He will need that confidence during this last of the three events co-sanctioned with the MENA Tour as it will strengthen that positive perspective and might lead to even greater things. But he seems to have found the problem and sees a way forward. “What’s always been my downfall is ball-striking,” he revealed, “and, I feel like that’s been growing week-to-week. It’s just a case of making a couple putts now for me.”

Coming from a solid 2016 season where he won the Modderfontein event of the Big Easy and made it into the top-20 four more times last year, Hammond knows what it takes to win and his way of seeing the game lately might just do the trick for him come Thursday.