10 Things You Didn't Know About Daniel Van Tonder

Get to know the South African Daniel Van Tonder here.

10 Things You Didn't Know About Daniel Van Tonder

South African professional golfer Daniel van Tonder is just starting to make a name for himself on the higher profile European and PGA Tours after a successful career on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa.

Here are 10 facts about van Tonder so you can get to know him a bit better

10 Things You Didn't Know About Daniel Van Tonder

1. Van Tonder was born in Boksburg, South Africa in 1991.

2. He turned pro in 2011.

3. His wife, Abi, has also been his caddie since 2015. Speaking about how good she is on the bag, van Tonder said, "And she’s great: She does the yardages, 90% of the time she does club selection – so all the birdies I make are because of her when I listen, and the bogeys are when I don’t."

4. He met his wife Abi at the Nelson Mandela Championship in 2013 and the two were engaged at the Nedbank Challenge in 2015.

Related: Who Is Daniel Van Tonder's Caddie?

5. He is a self taught golfer, he has never had a coach and he does all his swing training by himself.

6. He started playing golf aged 12.

He has spoken briefly about some trauma in his early life and how golf helped him through that period, "My parents were the ones who forced me into it, and then just time went on and I just taught myself."

"I don't think any child would enjoy practicing from eight in the morning until five in the evening over playing games and chilling, so for a while I didn’t enjoy it, and then after a while you just see it as your way out of a not so good situation."

7. He has 7 wins on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa. His first win was in 2014 and his most recent was in 2020.

8. He has one European Tour win after beating Jazz Janewattananond in a playoff at the 2021 Kenya Savannah Classic.

9. He has appeared in just two Majors: the 2021 PGA Championship and 2021 Open Championship.

10. He often goes by 'Danie' and most commentators refer to him by this name.