What makes a good caddie? While this question may have several layers to it, two things stand out. Foremost is the golfing experience, and then comes the kind of bond the duo shares. Thankfully for Thriston Lawrence, his bagman, Theunis Bezuidenhout, checks both boxes.

A former Sunshine Tour pro and close friend to Lawrence, Bezuidenhout has had an expansive career in golf. He earned his card via Q-School in 2018 after he finished in fifth place on the qualifying school’s rankings after six rounds. Located just to the west of Pretoria, Bezuidenhout is also related to Mooinooi Golf Club.

Quick Fact: A pro himself, Bezuidenhout is also the ambassador for Titleist Africa and FootJoy Africa.

The 29-year-old shares his South African roots with his employer. He is also a one-time champ on the Sunshine Tour, having won the Big Easy IGT Championship in 2019 after beating Reinhardt Blaauw in a playoff. In his time as a pro, he has also teed up at the South African Open in 2017 and 2020 and the 2018 Alfred Dunhill Championship.

Before their alliance at Royal Troon, this young caddy also participated in Lawrence’s other major appearances. Since 2021, the duo has colluded for four major wins. This includes the 2021 Joburg Open, the 2022 European Masters, the 2022 South African Open, and the 2023 BMW International Open. Surely, his close friend has been suiting Lawrence’s career trajectory well. But what is the one problem this duo often faces?

Similar, but so different: one problem that this South African duo often faces

Even though Bezuidenhout and Lawrence have their roots in South Africa, sometimes it gets hard for them to communicate with each other. The reason? The duo is similar, be it love for golf or place of birth, but also very different. Unlike Bezuidenhout, Lawrence is not a technical guy. So when technicalities get involved, it often gets difficult for his close friend and bagman to truly provide him with what he wants. After all, from his upbringing, Lawrence doesn’t really have a technicality-ridden feel to the game but is more experience-centered.

Explaining the same, Lawrence once said, “Even my caddie can sometimes find it tough trying to give me a club because sometimes I just see the shot and know what I want to hit, or I will go back ten years and think about a time I hit a similar shot. I’ve never been a technical guy; I’ve always been unorthodox and played the game by feel, and I don’t really care what other people think of that. There are a lot of ways to play this game and practice this game, and obviously you still have to work hard to be able to win events, but I’m happy doing things my way.”

While their differences might make understanding difficult sometimes, their friendship often takes the front seat and helps them through. An upward stride in the South African pro’s career is proof after all.