18-year-old Hijke Pretorius joined KeNako Academy and Rundle College in April 2015. She is a young lady who has a passion for many things including wildlife, the outdoors, golf, her academics, but most of all her family. She enjoys spending quality time with loved ones and shares a special bond with her older brother.
Hijke’s major short-term goal relates to academics. An AS Level student at Rundle College, Hijke is studying Mathematics, English, Afrikaans, Business and Environmental Management. Her objective is to attain an overall average of 65% for her subjects. Her thoughts on Rundle College: “I enjoy the Cambridge curriculum; the work is challenging, but we are taught to understand the content and not to learn in parrot-fashion. We have a great support system and the teachers are fantastic.” Her long-term goal is to pursue a career in Law and she would like to attend Stellenbosch University.
Her daily routine consists of attending school from 07:30 – 13:00 and thereafter focusing on her golf, with a combination of physical exercise, spending time on the range and developing her mental skills.
Hijke joined KeNako Academy and Rundle College because of the flexibility and freedom the program lends to focus on both golf and academics. She thoroughly enjoys the academy and family atmosphere in the hostel. She said the following about the professionals at KeNako; “I find Roger to be very kind and loving. Roger motivates all of us to do everything to the best of our abilities. He is a great inspiration to me. Carlo has a great sense of humour and Jan-Harm is very strict and enforces discipline in our fitness program.”
She found her interest in the game of golf at the age of 7 – her uncle, Hardus du Plessis, was the motivator. Earlier this year Hijke competed in the Ladies SA Amateur in Pretoria and this was her first ‘big’ tournament. Her handicap has already dropped substantially since joining the academy and she now wants to improve further by getting it down from its current 7 to a 4 handicap by year end. Whilst she has aspirations to one day be a lawyer, she would still like to leave the door open to one day playing on the LPGA Tour.
She hopes one day to be invited to play on the prestigious Augusta Golf course where The Masters is played annually. Her favourite local course is Pinnacle Point, in her hometown in Mossel Bay. Her favourite club is her 7 iron. She is a strong putter and she says that she is a very good bunker player! A role model she looks up to is Ricky Fowler because she feels that he always pushes himself to reach higher goals and standards.
She enjoys playing golf because it is comprised of a physical and mental challenge, not to mention the fact that it provides her with an opportunity to play with friends and family. She feels passionate about golf as a game. It allows one to interact with other individuals; there is a social element to it; not to mention the fact that it is a game that is played outdoors surrounded by beautiful nature.
Thanks for the interview Hijke and keep that beautiful smile!
