Robin Williams feeds off 'good vibes' of his dad to take the co-lead at Turkish Airlines Open

ANTALYA: The DP World Tour’s Turkish Airlines Open may be concluding on Mother’s Day, but the familiarity of having his father on his bag provided Robin “Tiger” Williams with the inspiration to claim a share of the first-round lead on Thursday at the Regnum Carya in Antalya, Türkiye. 

South African-born Williams, who hails from the picturesque town of Pniel in the Western Cape but resides in Peterborough, England, shot a bogey-free six-under-par 65 to pair him with Frenchman Martin Couvra and Germany’s Tiger Christensen at the top of the leaderboard. 

It has been a demanding last 12 months for Williams with the 23-year-old making maximum use of his DP World Tour card by playing in 44 tournaments across the globe. 

But the old adage of playing more translating into better results did not necessarily ring true for Williams, especially as Gary Player’s actual quote was “The more I practice, the luckier I get.”

The taxing schedule undoubtedly led to fatigue, but crucially the constant travelling from tournament to tournament left precious little time for Williams to actually hone his game.

He therefore got off the travelator recently, where he went back to basics with his scratch handicap dentist dad Morne, who is alongside him here in Türkiye. 

“It feels more of a relief than anything (starting well). I didn't get off to a great start at the beginning of the season, missed a lot of cuts and really struggled with the game,” Williams said. 

“But the three weeks after Singapore kind of worked on a few things with my dad that we didn't really get time to in the off season, and played so many events last year.

“We've worked so hard over the past few weeks to try to get the game in the shape that we can still compete out here and make cuts. So, it was nice to kind of iron out the things that needed to, and then try to carry that form on. 

“I've also got my dad on the back this week, so it was nice to kind of talk to him. He hasn't caddied for me in so long, and it was kind of nice memories. 

“It's more a relief to know that we're heading in the right direction, but it's a long way to go.”

The two-times winner of the Fortress Invitational on the Sunshine Tour and the 2023-24 Sunshine Tour Rookie of the Year was among the last group to tee off and finished his first round in almost complete silence with only the chirping of the indigenous Hoopla birds being heard as the glorious Antalya sun began setting off the Mediterranean Sea in the background. 

“It was just amazing to enjoy it, especially on the back nine,” Williams said. “It was so nice and peaceful out there. 

“There really wasn't any wind. It was like we were playing a practice out there, playing on our home course back home, me and my dad just enjoying ourselves.”

The key to Williams’ round was his speed out of the blocks, firing in three birdies early on, before adding a further three further on without dropping any shorts in between.

Williams feels his putting game was on form, which was particularly crucial on a course such as the Regnum Carya where the greens are in excellent shape. 

“It was good to get off to a good start, I haven’t done that well this year, so always good to get off to a good start and then use that momentum going forward. I made some really nice putts today, which kept the momentum, and just kept me feeling free,” he said.

“I always thought on this course, if you managed to find a lot of fairways, then after that, the greens are so good, it’s almost a putting competition after that. 

“But I wasn't sure how teeing off last, especially on the back nine, there was some greens that weren’t in great shape. But as I said, I putted really well, which kept my momentum, hopefully I can continue it.

“Once you get off the tee, then you can score pretty well, it's not very long golf course, you’re going to have some short irons in, gettable par fives as well. So yeah, just trying to take advantage of the driving and then after that, just got to hole the putts.

“Not only par, but birdie putts as well, just to keep it going. Hopefully, I can continue it for the rest of the week.”