7 months ago
22
Playing golf started as leisure and a stress reliever, but has now become a pursuit of passion, with the hopes of becoming a professional, for young amateur golfer William Prendergast.
Though he has been playing the sport for only a little over a year and is yet to compete in any Jamaican golfing tournaments, Prendergast finds himself competing in Germany as a member of the Dessau Golf Club.
“Since last year, I was only offered a chance to play as a guest on short notice. Now I’m a member of the club and the team, and playing the season from the start for the first time,” he said.
His first competition would see him finishing in the top 10, as a guest, out of 32 competitors. This, he said, made him extremely happy, motivating him even more to continue golfing.
Prendergast has now started his season as a competing club member and said he is enjoying the journey so far.
“This time I finished 11th out of 32 with a score of 83, but the highlight for me was that I hit a hole-in-one on the seventh hole. For my opening tournament I’m OK with that, but I know what I need to work on going into the rest of the season,” he said.
Prendergast, who originally left Jamaica for Germany to become a student at Dessau International School of Architecture to pursue a Master of Architecture degree, has now also become a student of professional golfer Adrian Powell, UK PGA.
Prendergast says he is already reaping the benefits of golfing in Europe, as he has been given the opportunity to play in Germany and Austria, and is looking to compete in other countries like the Netherlands and Switzerland.
However, Prendergast stated that he is taking his career step by step as it could take him up to five years to get to a professional level, based on coaching advice he received.
“Now that I am better exposed to the game of golf and surrounded by people who are equally invested in my performance, it has been a form of encouragement,” he said.
While he knows improving on his golfing requires discipline, hard work, the ability to perform under pressure, and endurance, he says being a former captain of the St George’s College swim team and a certified scuba diver have helped him to hone these attributes and apply them to golf.
This, he said, will help him to achieve his goals as a golfer.
“I would first like to see myself become a champion of a club that I am a member of and getting my personal ranking down,” Prendergast, who is currently at a 15 handicap index, said.
“I really see myself getting to the highest level possible, and that’s not to say that I am going to put my hat where I can’t reach it, but … but if I could see Jamaica play at the Olympic level, which would be a team effort, that would be a dream come true,” he said, also highlighting the fact that wherever he plays, he makes it known he’s Jamaican.
Prendergast has hopes of coming back to Jamaica to get a change to compete in tournaments like the Jamaica Open.
Challenges are in every sport and Prendergast said he has faced a few, such as being the sole financier of his golfing career. However, he is willing to push through the adversities.
These challenges also include him finding a balance between his career as an architect and his studies for attaining his master’s degree.
“Work and school goes hand-in-hand. As an architect, understanding measurement is a fundamental thing, and on the golf course it’s all about your distances. Being an architect [helps with] estimating distance and measurements. Having an eye for slopes or any changing level at all has actually translated in how I play on the golf course.”
Prendergast also highlighted how his golfing journey has helped to further anchor his faith in Christianity.
“My faith has impacted my golf, but also my golf has impacted my faith. The same way I am not afraid to step back on the golf course and try again to improve myself, I believe it is definitely the same way: I am not afraid to repent; and as the Bible says, ‘Come boldly before the Throne of Grace’ ... and move forward in my journey,” he said.
English (US) ·