The PGA Tour is about to have a brand new lengthy drive king.
Christo Lamprecht is a 24-year-old, 203cm (six toes, eight inches) tall South African who is about to mild up the PGA Tour after graduating from the Korn Ferry Tour on Sunday.
Lamprecht, who would be the tallest golfer on the PGA Tour subsequent yr, is nearly the precise prototype of a brand new technology of golfer with an athletic construct extra generally seen in a Springboks pack, who can blast the ball so far as the attention can see.
FOX SPORTS, accessible on Kayo Sports activities, is streaming The 2025 PGA Tour LIVE & Unique | New to Kayo? Be part of now and get your first month for simply $1.
On the secondary US Tour this yr, Lamprecht averaged 302.75 metres (331.1 yards) off the tee, whereas he as soon as rocketed a drive in competitors 418 yards — even additional than the long-lasting 400-yard Completely happy Gilmore drive.
That numbers was matched by Chase Sienkiewicz, but it surely bettered the PGA Tour driving distance chief Aldrich Potgieter at 296.99m (324.8 yards).
Potgieter, a 21-year-old fellow South African who spent a lot of his childhood in Perth, eclipsed second-placed Rory McIlroy by 1.64m (1.8 yards) in his rookie season, which additionally included a maiden victory on the Rocket Traditional in June.
However regardless of the statistics, Lamprecht admits that his countryman has his measure in the meanwhile.
“I feel if we play a match spherical of golf, I feel Aldrich is longer, however I feel if we go and fiddle behind the vary, I’d get him just a little bit on velocity, however he hits it a rustic mile and he hits it actually straight more often than not,” he advised Golfweek.
“However I’m extra impressed along with his energy. I’m 6’8” and simply use gravity to my benefit, whereas it’s fairly superior to see his physique transferring and type of the way in which he creates velocity. He’s one thing to see shut up.
“I don’t know what they feed us down in South Africa.”
Peak runs within the Lamprecht genes as his father stands 193cm tall (six toes, 4 inches), his grandfather was additionally 203cm (six toes, eight inches), whereas his nice grandfather was a whopping 213cm (seven toes).
Lamprecht subsequently has the right recipe for the kind of lengthy leavers that may assist launch a golf ball lengthy and excessive.
“I used to be barely above common beginning highschool, 5’7”, however in my first two years throughout highschool is type of when my size impulsively simply happened,” he recalled.
“I feel I grew a foot the primary two years in highschool. Once I left highschool, I used to be 6’8” and fortuitously I haven’t grown a lot since.”
The Lamprechts additionally grew up subsequent to South African {golfing} royalty.
“We now have a household seashore home in Herold’s Bay two doorways down from the place Ernie Els resides most of his time when he comes again,” Lamprecht stated.
“So, rising up and seeing him on my porch a pair occasions and being a four-year-old, five-year-old child that simply beginning out enjoying golf and listening to about this huge identify, Ernie on the time and he was on the prime of his peak, it was superior.
“I appeared as much as him loads, and simply listening to some tales and sitting on the porch late evening at my uncle’s and simply listening to some cool tales.”
As a teenager, Lamprecht was additionally in Louis Oosthuizen’s golf academy, and the 2010 Open champion, who has completed runner-up in all 4 majors, nonetheless acts as a mentor.
Oosthuizen’s phrases of knowledge, and a few of Els’ recommendation through the years, had been little question ringing in Lamprecht’s ears when he received the British Novice in 2023.
He performed in The Open and The Masters because of this, making the reduce at Royal Liverpool two years in the past and even sitting atop the leaderboard throughout the first spherical.
“Hopefully someday I’ll be strolling down 18 the final day, not the primary day with my identify on prime but it surely was superior to take the world by storm just a little bit and it was cool to see that my good golf is sweet sufficient to compete with anybody,” Lamprecht stated.
“That was type of the primary takeaway I had. I want to select up the free ends and clear up throughout. That’s the distinction between a man like me and Scottie Scheffler.
“He hits loads higher dangerous pictures than I do. I felt like I used to be prepared to show professional and that have of being in competition early on will serve me nicely hopefully in my future.”
He adopted that up by ending second within the rankings for the 2024 class of PGA Tour U whereas in his ultimate yr of faculty golf at Georgia Tech.
The second that actually thrust him into the highlight in America, nevertheless, was his breakthrough Korn Ferry Tour victory on the Pinnacle Financial institution Championship in Augusta.
It was no unusual win as Lamprecht holed out from a bunker beside the 18th inexperienced for birdie to seal the maiden skilled triumph.
However the aftermath of the huge second was additionally an on the spot actuality hit of the character {of professional} golf.
“It took some time to kick in,” he stated.
“My South African pal, Barend Botha, completed up on the entrance 9 simply earlier than I did so he noticed the commotion and came to visit to congratulate me and poured some water throughout me but it surely was laborious to rejoice when you will have a 6am flight the following morning.
“However my agent flew in earlier that day and so we had some steaks and good wine for dinner and it was superior.”
Lamprecht was additionally in a position to share the second along with his cousin Christian, who has been his caddie since he turned skilled.
Christian made waves on social media after he was seen throwing his cousin’s putter away in celebration after the profitable bunker shot dropped.
The pair have been inseparable since a younger age, and can relish the prospect to share the PGA Tour journey collectively.
“We grew up collectively about 5 homes down from one another. We spent about six or seven days collectively per week,” Lamprecht stated.
“It’s been one thing that we’ve talked about our whole lives as youngsters and he was actually good at cricket and so I at all times stated if my golf doesn’t work out and his cricket works out, then I’ll turn into his supervisor.
“He’s been like a brother to me and it’s superior having him on the bag 24/7.”
It has additionally been an essential grounding yr for Lamprecht, and one which makes him really feel prepared for the day-to-day grind of the PGA Tour, and the numerous challenges it presents.
“I’ve by no means in my life performed that a lot golf,” Lamprecht stated of turning skilled.
“I at all times had time to observe to prepare for golf tournaments and it was type of similar to this ongoing circus and I by no means felt like I might get off for 3 seconds.
“That for me was a giant adjustment and type of adjusting my sport to what the Korn Ferry calls for.
“I feel faculty golf is a bit more centered on capturing two or three beneath and out right here you gotta go 5 beneath or under each single day.
“It took a short time for me to regulate. It type of gave me some motivation to see guys I performed in opposition to have success – if they will do it I can do it mentality.
“Yeah, it would’ve been irritating at occasions not seeing my identify up there and but it surely was good motivation, understanding that it’s across the nook.”