Mauritian golfer Pellegrin begins his path to greatness on Altron Big Easy Tour

Mauritian professional golfer Pierre Pellegrin says he acknowledges that after spending all of his life in his home country, it’s going to take a while for him to adjust to South Africa and the level of competition he faces on the Altron Big Easy Tour.

At one stage the best amateur on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, Pellegrin, now a professional, has chosen to continue his golfing development through the Altron Big Easy Tour while setting his sights on the main circuit, the Sunshine Tour.

“Greatness begins here, right,” says Pellegrin, with a bright smile on his face. “I’m planning to play all these events that are remaining on the Altron Big Easy, and obviously play the Sunshine Tour events also. I think golf in South Africa is very competitive. Most of the PGA Tour players who are South African are very good players. European guys and South African guys are right up there so I chose Sunshine Tour because I think it’s where I’m going to perform well to be able to go higher up in the ranking in the future and the Big Easy will help me get there.”

Pellegrin didn’t make the cut in the SunBet Challenge in what was his first official tournament on the Sunshine Tour and failed to qualify for the KitKat Group Pro-Am. His struggles continued as he missed the cut in his first Altron Big Easy Tour outing at Reading Country Club last week but the 24-year-old isn’t too bothered by results at this point in his career.

“Unfortunately, adjusting to new things takes time,” he adds, “and getting used to the culture, the environment and other things will take time. That is the same with golf. You have to be patient with yourself. I’m pretty new in this environment but I’m getting used to it. My first Big Easy event was at Reading. I shot badly because I had a hand injury that kept me back but as soon as I get my rhythm back, it’s game on.”

Pellegrin is in the field at Randpark Golf Club this week and while he refuses to look too far ahead as he navigates the new environment in a foreign country, he does have short-term targets to work towards.

“My short-term goals are to give myself chances to play a bit more, be more competitive,” he says, “I think I’m lacking a bit of competition at the moment. Because of Covid, I stayed in Mauritius and I came back in January here. As soon as I get back into the competition rhythm and mode, I will be able to showcase my talent and compete with these guys. For now, I need to get my rhythm back and play regular competitive golf and that’s what I’m getting from the Big Easy Tour.”

Pellegrini is among many international golfers who have chosen to continue their golf development through the Altron Big Easy Tour, giving impetus to the Tour’s objective of being the premier pathway to the Sunshine Tour and the greatness that comes with that.

With a number of players who graduated from the Altron Big Easy Tour going on to win on the Sunshine Tour, the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour, Pellegrin will hope to follow in their footsteps and ascend to the levels they have reached.

The Big Easy Tour was founded in 2011 with support from Ernie Els and counts current international star Christiaan Bezuidenhout among its former Order of Merit winners.