A Bloemfontein-based player has earned his stripes by achieving a remarkable feat at the 2023 Footgolf World Cup tournament staged in Florida, America. He became South Africa’s highest-ranking international player, of both men and women, to represent the country at this tournament.
Pitsi Molebatsi was part of the team participating in the world cup for the very first time, under the auspices of FootGolf South Africa (FGSA).
The event was held from 26 May to 6 June.
Molebatsi secured a world ranking of T411. This achievement also makes him the highest-ranking player from the African continent.
He finished as the national team’s highest scorer overall, with +8 points in the tournament’s men’s category.
“This was also a historical moment for me. I started poorly in the tournament as I thought it was going to be easy to be in the top 20 based on my preparations, and the fact that I had won the Footgolf Pro-am Tournament held at the Serengeti Golf Estate,” says Molebatsi.
“I had to readjust my mindset immediately after that, and I reminded myself that I am only as good as my last putt.
“I think I recovered well after that, as my score was +9 at the end of round 1. I scored +1 in 15 holes, which was a great recovery after a poor start.
“For rounds 2 and 3 I scored -3, and in the final round I scored +5, which earned me a total score of +8.”
The former U23 men’s football star says the experience he gained during his maiden world cup will stand him in good stead for future competitions.
“It was a worthwhile experience to have been part of the first-ever group from the African continent to compete at the Footgolf World Cup,” believes Molebatsi.
His achievement in this new game is not a fluke. While a student at the Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State, he was recognised as sportsman of the year and player of the year for 2005-’06. He was also capped with the South African Student Sports Union (Sassu) men’s football team during his active tenure in 2007.
Molebatsi’s promising football career was, however, ended by a car accident on 11 July 2007. The vehicle he was driving overturned on the way to Colesberg, when Molebatsi was called out for work. He is a qualified engineer and works as a technician.
