 James Kingston was the nearly man of South African golf for more than fifteen years.
He found ways to lose tournaments from winning positions on a few occasions, until just
under a year ago at Pearl Valley, when the 42-year old held off a stern challenge from a
fast-finishing Englishman, Oliver Wilson, to claim the South African Airways Open title.
Since then, the player from Rustenburg has also won the Vodacom Championship at the
Pretoria Country Club. It was a glorious come-from-behind victory which included three
birdies on the final three holes to edge out Brazilian Adilson da Silva.
"I really wanted to get this big win," said Kingston of his SAA Open victory.
"Twice, in Hong Kong, I lost a tournament by one shot. It really hurt badly."
Kingston had chances to win the Hong Kong Open in 2004 and 2005 when a par at the 72nd
hole would have given him victory or an opportunity at a playoff.
The SA Open champion said he could have accepted the first defeat when he got a tad
unlucky at the last hole, but being in the same position the next year and blowing it
again, was hard to swallow. Blowing it was a familiar theme for Kingston during a few
tournaments in his career.
His talent had never been challenged by critics, as he shot three 61s on the Sunshine
Tour plus a 62 in the 2004 Dunhill Championship. But his ability to clinch victories or
close out tournaments had been scrutinized at times.
The SA Open win may well prove to have been the defining moment in his career. Some of
his performances in the 2008-season have been breathtaking, most notably at the Scottish
Open, where he finished second. "I played unbelievably well, and if I had putted
better on the first two days, I would have won it. But what really pleased me, is that I
gave myself an opportunity of winning it," he said.
"I know that I have lost a few tournaments, and sometimes it looks as if you have
choked in a situation. But would you call Padraig Harrington a choker for finishing second
thirteen times in a year?
"I have won in South Africa, on the European Tour and on the Asian Tour, and that
win at the SA Open was enough. I won’t worry and fret about the critics," said
Kingston.
Winning the SAA Open not only enabled Kingston to clinch the Order of Merit title on
the Sunshine Tour at the expense of Louis Oosthuizen in 2007; it also gave him access to
the World Golf Championship and the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City for the first time.
"Competing in the Nedbank Golf Challenge has been a childhood-dream. I was a boy
when I first watched the players taking part at the Million Dollar event at Sun City. Some
of the participants were champions like Severiano Ballesteros, Johnny Miller and David
Frost. Frost was one of my childhood-heroes. He gave me my very first golf lesson as a
kid."
Kingston has played in the Minolta Matchplay and the Dimension Data tournaments on the
course at Sun City and says he has always loved playing there. His own strengths could
give him a reasonable shot at doing well at Sun City. He hits the ball fairly straight and
his tee to green game is relatively consistent and accurate.
Reflecting on his improvement since that potential career-defining win at Pearl Valley,
Kingston says his swing has improved markedly over the past nine months thanks largely to
the work he has been doing with coach Jamie Gough, who emphasizes the importance of being
positive and confident.
Kingston broke through the top-hundred on the golf rankings in February, and his
improved consistency saw him reach a career-best ranking of 71 in September. He knows
better than anyone that consistency is now the key, limiting his bad rounds and pushing on
to fulfil the potential he has always believed in. | 
