Young Yurav Premlall believes hitting the rough now will only make him stronger for the future

Yurav Premlall gazes down the fairway. He pauses one more time before he is about to tee off.

Although a Joburg-boy, the picturesque setting of the Regnum Carya in Antalya, where the sun-kissed shore meets the azure sky, reminds the 22-year-old of South Africa’s east coast.

“It’s a beautiful place here, a bit like KZN back home, just a bit less humid and not as hot,” Premlall told Independent Media.

The youngest player to compete in the SA Open at 15-years-old did not enjoy a stay as long as he would have hoped for, especially as “the hospitality has been amazing”, due to him missing the cut at the Turkish Airlines Open having carded a +1 after the first two rounds.

But Premlall is not overly despondent as he makes his way around the circuit during his debut DP World Tour season. 

“Look, it was good, there was definitely some things that I wasn't happy with in that whole stretch that I'm obviously trying to work on and get better at,” he said.

“Sometimes results, when you're working on things, it's a process that has to follow and sometimes you go through a bit of a patch, which it feels like I've been going through for a while, but once you find it, it feels like you're pretty invincible again.

“I’ve had solid results, there are always elements I’m not happy with, and that’s what I’m striving to improve. Sometimes you hit rough patches, but when you find your rhythm again, it feels like you’re untouchable.

“I mean, you obviously have to be diligent in your whole process and just giving yourself the opportunity to be in a position for a breakthrough at the end of the day and I genuinely think it will happen sooner rather than later.”

Premlall has, of course, tasted success before when he lifted his maiden Sunshine Tour triumph at the Vodacom Origins of Golf Sishen tournament last year. 

It was a perfect ending to a period where Premlall was in tremendous form, finishing second twice, racking up two third-place finishes and three other top-15 placings.

Does he feel that gave him the belief that he could be successful? 

“Look, there was never really a question with me whether I belong at a certain level,” Premlall said.

“It was just, I was having a really good run of form, but there was not much to show for it in terms of a victory and the victory was just kind of a seal of approval to say, you know what, this run of form was actually, that there was light at the end of the tunnel.

“It was a rough year and a half before that, you know, working on things, trying to get better. And when it all started, you know, materializing into a great run of form, it was just rewarding at the end of the day. 

“But like I said, the win was just more a reflection of the work I've done and finally just putting something on top of it to reward the hard work at the end of the day.”

Premlall certainly has the potential to consistently be among the top finishers, especially as he enjoys the DP World Tour with his close friend and SA Open champion Dylan Naidoo - with both hailing from Modderfontein Golf Club in Johannesburg. 

“We've known each other for quite some time. We're good friends on tour. And yeah, I mean, it's nice to have other South Africans out here that you can familiarise yourself with and you never feel like you're completely alone,” he shared.

“It’s good to know there's always people to fall back on when things don't go according to plan out here because it's a very lonely sport. And having people that you know you can trust and have your back no matter what is always good.”

Premlall heads off to Europe now for the remainder of the DP World Tour and with the confidence he possesses and the talent to match, the youngster is sure to spring a few surprises.