[PHOTO: David Cannon]
At every edition of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, biographies of the star-studded amateur line-up are distributed. Most of the summaries are but a paragraph in length, briefly highlighting the various achievements of those prominent in the worlds of sport and business. Johann Rupert’s is the shortest of all, though. The driving force behind this now-23-year-old event, the South African is identified only as “chairman of Richemont, the Swiss luxury goods group”.
That, of course, only serves as the briefest of introductions to a man who has made an almost incalculable contribution to the DP World Tour (where he is an honorary vice-president), his homeland (where he has multiple times been named business leader of the year and is chairman of the South African PGA Tour), and golf, in general. Developer of the highly rated Leopard Creek Golf Club in Mpumalanga, South Africa, Rupert is reportedly worth about $US12 billion. The 74-year-old is also the ultimate golf nut, one whose beneficence commendably knows few bounds.
He is not to be messed with, either. In 2005, when a magazine described Afrikaans as an “ugly language”, Rupert withdrew all advertising for his various company brands, including Alfred Dunhill.
This week, however, Rupert’s role as tournament host at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns has taken on a unique significance. He is one of the few men in the world who could have convinced PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and the man in charge of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, to play golf together at a time when the state of the professional game has perhaps never been under more threat. Throw in the presence of DP World Tour chief executive Guy Kinnings, and the past few days have surely moved things forward in that regard.
“Johann is so well-connected,” Kinnings said. “This is a man who speaks regularly to presidents. He and Nelson Mandela were close. He was a great friend of [the late former R&A secretary] Sir Michael Bonallack. He was also close to the founder of IMG, Mark McCormack, and Kerry Packer. Yet he is loved by the caddies on tour. He knows people at every level of the game. He understands business as well as anyone. He understands politics. And, while he is a proud South African, he is a citizen of the globe. He knows people the world over.”
To that end and perhaps most importantly, Rupert is known to be in favour of a coming together for the PGA Tour, the PIF and LIV Golf League and, more peripherally, the DP World Tour. Not for him the notion of conflicting and competing major tours playing alongside each other, parallel but never intersecting.
“Since I grew up near Leopard Creek, I have long been aware of just how much Johann does for South African golf and the game in general,” said Thriston Lawrence, the third man alongside Rory McIlroy and Billy Horschel in the recent playoff for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. “After I turned pro, I met him through his involvement with Golf RSA. He’s everywhere. He creates so many opportunities for the young up-and-coming kids. Kids of colour. Kids who struggle. He helps everyone and tries to give them all advance to go after their dreams. I can only say I appreciate enormously all that he does.
“He definitely had a plan this week. I smiled when I saw who he had playing together. I have to think he has a finger in the bigger pie, too. He has a plan for all the tours to get together and sort out their problems. He clearly wants to see a global result.”
Lawrence, as you might expect, isn’t the only one who has picked up on Rupert’s hardly covert strategy. His wishes for the future are clear to see
“Look at the field this week,” continued Kinnings. “It is a mixture of DP World Tour players, PGA Tour members and those from LIV and an example of the sort of thing we could have going forward. You can see what Johann is doing. And he is doing it at the Home of Golf. He is bringing everyone together. He wants to help the process and take the game global. He can see the opportunities that we have right now, but he can also see the threats. He wants us to take advantage of the opportunities and leave golf in a better place.”
Noble stuff. And Kinnings is not above bragging about how great things have been on the DP World circuit these past few weeks. But he is justified in doing so. The Irish Open, BMW PGA, Spanish Open and now this week have provided a glimpse into an exciting future that could and should encompass the very best from all the current tours.
“This is a reminder of what the fans want to see,” Kinnings confirmed. “Johann knows that and sees that. He has great insight. This week he is making a statement. In fact, I’d want Johann in the chair during the current negotiations. He has the stature and commands the respect of everyone. And he’s neutral. He doesn’t have a foot in any camp. And he has a great record of bringing people together.”
Indeed, Rupert has many admirers beyond those running tours. Long-time Sky Sports commentator and former European Tour player Ewen Murray is another long-term admirer.
“Johann is not the sort of guy who tells you what he has done behind the scenes, he just does it,” says the Scot. “The kids in South Africa have a winter tour and a summer tour. So many of them are good players who have a chance to develop because of Johann. It’s all very well him saying to youngsters he can get them starts in pro events. That’s the easy part. For him anyway. But developing them properly is difficult. He looks at the talent. He looks at the character of the person. And he is colour-blind in that respect.
“He keeps an eye on them all until he thinks they are ready to get a chance. And he’s been doing that for 30 years. Ernie Els’ development tour and the foundations of just about every South African player – Johann is involved in them all. He’s one of the most exceptional men I’ve ever met in golf. When you see so many players at the Dunhill every year, you know it is part of their way of saying ‘thank you’ to him. They know how much he has done. Yet he never talks about his achievements.”
Still, amid the sea of players Rupert has helped over the years, perhaps no one is as much in his debt as McIlroy. Back in 2007 as a newly turned pro, the teenage Northern Irishman received an invitation to the Dunhill Links. By finishing third, he won €211,321, avoided the roulette table that was the upcoming qualifying school and immediately earned his card for 2008 on what was then the European Tour.
“The tournaments Johann has put on here in St Andrews are one thing,” said the four-time major champion. “He has been a great advocate for the game of golf. The support he has given to the South Africans is another thing, of course. So many great players owe a lot to him. I do too. He gave me an invite 17 years ago when he didn’t have to. That was a week that changed my life. I’ll always be grateful.”
And so say so many.
