Beaming with confidence after being awarded his first senior national team golf cap, Lerako Molefe was amongst some of Southern Africa's finest golfers at the Lusaka Golf Club in Zambia. The tournament ends today, but the memories will be forever etched in Molefe's mind.
Molefe told MmegiSport that being selected to play alongside golfers he looked up to in his young career is a huge achievement. Born in Gaborone 19 years ago, Molefe started his preschool at Peo Nursery School, then went to Rainbow School before proceeding to Maruapula School for his high school education.
His interest in golf was influenced by his father, Pius Molefe, who was a golfer and is still hitting the balls.
“I used to travel with him whenever he went to play tournaments, by then I was still a young boy and I had no idea what he was doing. However, as I was still growing up, I did not know which sport I wanted to play. Sometimes I wanted to go swimming or play basketball but at one point I realised that my potential was in golf in 2016. It has been an up and down journey. I have a love and hate relationship with golf. But the love for golf will always prevail. I always come back to it, no matter what type of day I had,” he said with a commanding accent.
Lerako said he has played many tournaments and one thing for sure is that a golfer loses 90% of the tournaments that they play, even the greatest golfers. He said 2022 was his best year, where he played 10 tournaments and won six, of which winning in golf is not always a success, but success comes from the progress that he sees.
“For me, it means if you do not win, it means you have something to work on, if you have something to work on, it means you can improve, that is how I always look at it. I always try as much to stay positive," he said.
"In the past, I used to think that there were bad days in golf but recently I have started to believe that there are no bad days in golf; you make bad days in your mind. Your mind makes things up when you are on the golf course. Hitting a bad shot does not mean it is a bad hole, having a bad hole does not mean it is a bad round, and having a bad round does not mean it is a bad tournament. You can always recover from things like that,” he added.
Molefe has played tournaments in Malaysia during the Kids Golf Championship and other continental junior championships. He has won the Nomads Junior Championships four times. During the 2022-2023 season, he won the PGA Junior League Order of Merit.
When asked about the perception that golf is a sport for the elite, Molefe said that is not true because the greatest golfers in the world such as the current number one, Scottie Scheffler, and other great players such as Rory Mcllroy and Tiger Woods came from nothing, which makes it clear that the perception that golf is an elite sport is wrong. He said from its roots, golf was a poor man’s sport. Molefe said golf is his life and he is terrified of being an average player and that keeps him going.
“I am currently studying at St. Andrews University in North Carolina, USA ,after receiving the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) Elite Scholarship in partnership with the Department of Tertiary Education (DTEF). It is a great university according to my experience so far. I appreciate that. I have been given an opportunity to go to places I never thought I would reach. The BNSC has given me so much in the past, even up to now. I am part of the St. Andrews University team,” he said with a smile.
Lerako is in the country on a summer break and he will be going back to university in August. The talented youngster has some tournaments to play in Africa.
Regarding his role model in golf, Lerako said most golfers will say Tiger Woods because he made the sport ‘cool’.
“Obviously Tiger is my role model. (Scottie) Scheffler is my inspiration because I want to implement what he does daily, and the way he approaches golf and life in general. He spreads the message very well through his talent. He is a humble person and I am sure even though he has been the world number one since the beginning of last year. Most people do not know him. My other role model is Mcllroy, he is the face of golf right now,” he said.
Lerako said he does not feel out of place by being in the senior team because it has been a long time coming as he has put in the work. He mentioned that he has played for the junior team and has been a captain for a long time.
“I am now starting from scratch because this is a higher level than junior golf. If I feel I did not do my best when I was a junior now, this is another way to start in the senior side of golf,” he said.
Lerako said there are challenges of playing golf, as you have to fight against other forces, like the grass, not getting perfect contact with the ball, sand, wind, hitting a hard patch and the biggest one is the mind. Meanwhile, Lerako said his biggest dream is to be the best golfer on the continent and even to play in the PGA Tour.
FACT FILE
Full name: Lerako Molefe
Date of birth: July 25, 2005
Place of birth: Gaborone
Profession: Student
Sport: Golf
Handicap: 2.6
Hobbies: Like swimming, watching Netflix
Favourite meal: Butter chicken, butternut, and Chicken Alfredo
