Who carries the bag for the big South African? We take a look here.
Who Is Daniel Van Tonder’s Caddie?
A multiple-time winner on the Sunshine Tour, South African Daniel Van Tonder got into the European Tour winner’s circle for the first time in 2021 at the Kenya Savannah Classic as he defeated Jazz Janewattananond with a tap-in birdie on the third playoff hole.
Along for the win was his caddie but who exactly is she? We look below.
Who Is Daniel Van Tonder’s Caddie?
Daniel Van Tonder’s caddie is his wife Abigail.
Speaking after the victory in Kenya, Daniel noted how important she has been in his life and when on the bag.
At the time he said; “She’s been on the bag for seven years.”
“She’s been with me through thick and thin. It was very special to see the highs coming together and sharing them.
“It’s very exciting. We’ve been working hard. It took a while, but it came and I’m very happy – my wife is over the moon. I’m very happy and grateful.
“Work hard. Keep your head down, be humble. I love my wife, she’s the rock. She keeps me calm, makes me positive in everything.”
The pair teaming up to win in Kenya (Getty Images)
In terms of how they met, it has been reported Daniel went through a lot as a child and as a young professional, and meeting Abigail was a lifeline.
During a tournament day at the Nelson Mandela Championship in 2013, Daniel walked up to her coffee station on the driving range at Mount Edgecombe.
“He came over and bought a coffee from me, and started a conversation,” says Abi in an interview with The Citizen.
“We’re both Afrikaans speaking, but I spoke English to him because to be honest I wasn’t really interested,” she says with a laugh.
“He came to buy a coffee quite early and I wasn’t actually open yet. I told him he needed to wait for his change.”
“He told me he’d wait for a pretty face anytime,” says Abi. “We just kept in contact from there. Then we started dating in 2014, and the following year we were engaged.”
“He proposed to me when he played in the Nedbank Golf Challenge in 2015. But then he said it’s half a proposal because he wants to do it properly. After the tournament he took me in a helicopter ride to the Valley of a Thousand Hills in KwaZulu-Natal, and we had a picnic on the mountain there. He proposed to me there. It was quite special.
“Caddying wasn’t actually in the picture. I wanted to be a game ranger. But it went that way, and now here we are.”
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