BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE
Zimbabwean junior golfer Tariro November is not your typical teenage golfer.
He might now be one of the leading junior golfers in the country, but this is a young man who overcame being born with a bilateral club foot condition and had to undergo multiple surgeries to correct the anomaly and excel in the sport of golf.
A bilateral clubfoot is a relatively common birth defect that describes a range of foot abnormalities present at birth.
Typically, the tendons connecting the muscles to the bone are shorter than they should be. It’s usually an isolated problem for an otherwise healthy newborn, and doctors are more often than not able to treat it without surgery.
For November the fact he was born with that condition is what gives him strength and determination to excel in life.
And he is not short of role models in his quest to overcome the condition he was born with and excel on the golf course.
Current world number one ranked golfer Jon Rahm, who five months ago became the first Spanish golfer to win the US Open, has mentioned in the past that he was also born with a clubbed foot.
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“Being born with a bilateral club foot condition has made me become a stronger person emotionally and physically. I believe I am just like any other person. there is nothing I cannot do. I guess having such caring parents really helped me and also God’s blessings have made me become who I am today,” November told The Sports Hub.
November has been shortlisted as one of the four young golfers to represent the country at the global junior tourney, the Orange Bowl in a little over a month.
He recently warmed up for the US trip in style by winning the Platinum Classic at Norton Country Club for the biggest win of his fledgling career thus far.
Inspired by his school’s motto which says “Aim High” the Heritage School student did, and shot a 7-under-par score to take home the Platinum Classic.
“First and foremost I would like to thank the almighty God for the gift of life because without him all our life achievements would not be possible. I would also like to thank my caddy Pride Sembo, who also plays professional golf because he really helped me to stay calm and also focus which then made me keep calm and win the tournament at 7 under,” November said.
“Winning the Platinum Classic event really means a lot as this tournament has made me gain some points and also get to be recognised on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR),” he said.
November is set to play in a number of tournaments in the next couple of months including the Dixie Amateur 2021 Men’s Invitational, Doral Junior Tournament and also Orlando International Amateur in the US.
But the player says his participation at the Orange Bowl is not yet confirmed.
“If I say I am going to play in the Orange Bowl I will be lying because I’m yet to be confirmed if there is any spot available for me to be able to compete in the event.
“However, the win in Norton is an eye-opener as it shows me that I can compete not only locally but also internationally. This win also makes me gain some confidence in believing in myself and also see myself being able to achieve all my set goals in the game of golf,” November said.
November was introduced to the game by his father at the age of eight and he has not looked back since.
“My father is the one who introduced me to the game at the age of eight. He got me into some junior clinics which we attended every Saturday morning at Chapman Golf Club. Since then I just fell in love with the game and decided to take it up as a career.
“In 2017, I then got into the Heritage school, which really helped me get better in my game of golf because the Heritage golfing programme is motivating as the school motto says it all ALTA PETE (aim high).
“I am grateful to Robson Saurombe who started coaching me up to this day. I believe he’s the one who really pushed me and made me take golf as a career because he made me gain good work ethics as working hard is what successful people do.
The 18-year-old is also looking to further his career in US collegiate golf.
“My dream is to get into a Division 2 golf university in America where I will be doing my studies and also playing collegiate golf at a competitive level. I would like to get a business in law degree and also play professional golf on the European tour which is one of the best golf tours in the world,” he said.
