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Wilco Nienaber
Wilco Nienaber
Born: 7 April 2000
Birthplace: South Africa
College: N/A
Resides: South Africa
Major Wins: 0
Euro or PGA Tour Wins: 0
Other Wins: 0
Grass Preference: Unknown
Significant Life Events: Yes
GBC Wind Performance Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
GBC Pressure Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
BIO
Wilco is one of the hottest young talents coming out of South Africa in recent years. A talented amateur, he won the South African Amateur in 2019 and turned pro that summer. A huge hitter of the ball, he ranked 1st on the European Tour in 2020 for Driving Distance.
Wilco will be looking to follow compatriot Garrick Higgo's example and secure a breakthrough win in 2022. Don't be surprised to see him win on a course that favours his long hitting.
Significant info
Wilco only turned pro in 2019.
Wilco turned 20 in April 2020.
Pressure Performance Analysis
Summary
Wilco hasn't been able to breakthrough with a win on the DP World Tour as yet but he will have benefited from his experiences to date. His Golf Betting Club Pressure Performance Rating is set at 3 ⭐⭐⭐.
March 2022
❌ Began the final round of the Qatar Masters 2 shots behind the leaders. Shot 75 to finish 4 back.
May 2021
✅ Won a Challenge Tour event with a final round 65, after trailing by 3 shots after 54 holes. Won a playoff against Henric Sturehead.
November 2020
➖ Wilco led the Joburg Open by a shot with 18 holes to go. He played well for 16 holes but a pulled tee shot into the water at the 71st hole saw him make a bogey. A further bogey at the last saw him lose out to Joachim B Hansen by two shots.
February 2020
❌ Wilco trailed Daniel van Tonder by five shots at the REM Cape Town Open. A disappointing 75 saw him slip to 14th.
February 2020
➖ Four shots back after 54 holes at the Limpopo Championship, Wilco shot an impressive 67 but lost out by two shots to JC Ritchie.
Trends
None as yet
Events to back Nienaber
Open De Espana
He now has two top 10's in Spain following a 6th place here last year, closing with a 64.
Playoff Record
1-0.
Significant Quotes
March 2020
"It has been tough. To begin with, I wasn’t playing my best golf and then all the travelling got to me. It’s only now that I feel things are getting easier. Everything is more familiar – I know where to go, who the people are and I don’t feel so much like the new guy.
At registration at one of my first events I was in the queue and Thomas Pieters was behind me. I felt like I needed to let him go ahead of me. At the Omega European Masters in Switzerland, Lee Westwood and Danny Willett were hitting balls next to each other at the range. The only available spot was a small gap between them. If my dad had been caddying for me we would probably have waited for them to finish, but my caddie got right into that space, spread out my clubs and off we went.
That’s been a massive help for me – a manager and a caddie who have been in this game for such a long time that they know the ropes and what to expect. I can just get on with playing."
