An unexpected encounter at the Arrow Rest driving range in Hartbeespoort made Mienke Liebenberg’s (11) dream come true when she spotted her hero, LIV Golf star Bryson DeChambeau, while practising her golf swing.
“Mamma! Mamma! It’s Bryson!” Mienke called out.
Her mother, Marlise, did not believe it at first. “Mienke sees a man walking towards us and she tells me it’s Bryson. I tell her it’s impossible,” Marlise told Die Papier.
The American DeChambeau, who won the first South African LIV Golf tournament at Steyn City last weekend, walked over to Mienke, introduced himself and shook her hand.
“She looks at him and says: I know…,” Marlise said.
The American golfer then hit a few balls with Mienke and was impressed with her technique.
WATCH MIENKE AND BRYSON PLAY GOLF TOGETHER HERE
“Bryson asked her to hit the ball and not to be nervous. And the first shot she hits, she strikes the ball perfectly. He was really impressed with her,” Marlise said.
“He told her when he was 11 years old, he would have given anything to swing the golf club like that.”
DeChambeau then asked if he could have a go with her driver. Before he played the shot, he joked and said he would hit softly so as not to break the club.
Mienke’s response? “No, go hard on it.” DeChambeau laughed.
“I was really excited. We took a photos together and I hit a few balls with him. I also got his autograph on my hat. It was a very cool experience,” she said.
DeChambeau also gave her advice: “It’s not just about the golf, it’s about the journey.”
He encouraged her to improve her short game at home.
Mienke, who started playing golf at the age of two, represented the North West golf team for the first time at the interprovincial golf tournament at Seasons Golf Estate in Brits last weekend.
She plays golf at Magaliespark and Pecanwood and practises every day between her schoolwork.
She also attended the LIV Golf tournament last weekend where other players, including Matthew Wolff and Michael La Sasso, signed her hat.
A video of the encounter between Mienke and DeChambeau has been widely shared on social media.
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SOURCE: Die Papier
