Christiaan Bezuidenhout, a Surprise Co-Leader at the Players, Has Battled a Stuttering Problem That Doesn't Come From the Source Most People Think
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Christiaan Bezuidenhout stutters, a big part of his backstory as a professional golfer. Perhaps the biggest fallout from that trait is that he once failed a drug test due to medication he was taking and was suspended from competition.
Now at the top of the Players Championship leaderboard as weather suspended play on Friday, Bezuidenhout undoubtedly is focused on the task of trying to secure the biggest title of his professional career.
But there’s another benefit to his position at the PGA Tour’s signature event: the opportunity for people to learn about his condition.
For much of his life, Bezuidenhout and his family believed his stuttering stemmed from a childhood accident in which he swallowed rat poison. That story has been told – and Bezuidenhout discussed – numerous times over the years as his success in golf unfolded, including three victories on the European Tour and a spot last year on the International Presidents Cup team.
It turns out, the poisoning was not the cause, and Bezuidenhout has gotten behind an effort to better educate people on the topic.
“There’s such a lack of understanding about it,’’ said Dr. Courtney Byrd, the founding and executive director of the Arthur Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research, during a phone interview Friday. “Parents want to know what could be the cause of this. Did he ingest something? Did I scare them? Drop them? There is evidence to suggest genetic predisposition. But when you try to pinpoint the precise area in the brain, we don’t have that.
“But it makes sense that his parents were trying to figure out what happened. That’s all they could come up with at the time. But it was already there and it developed in the typical timeframe and persisted.’’
Byrd is a full professor, associate chair and graduate advisor in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at the University of Texas. She has worked with Bezuidenhout and says, “we couldn’t have a better partner than him.’’
Bezuidenhout has no recollection of the poisoning incident, which was scary in its own right. He was just two years old at the time and came close to death.
Now 28, Bezuidenhout is currently ranked 98th in the SI World Golf Rankings (81st in the OWGR) and earned a place on the PGA Tour last year. He won twice late in the 2020 season on the European Tour in his native South Africa to climb as high as 35th in the OWGR.
As a toddler, Bezuidenhout (BEZ-zaden-HAUGT) was with his parents at a park when he came upon a bottle of soda. Soon he took a sip, but instead of a soft drink the contents contained rat poison. Rushed to the hospital, Bezuidenhout was saved, but he had severe nervous system issues and for years believed his speech issues to be related.
It wasn’t until the last year that he partnered with the Arthur Blank Center (Blank is the owner of the Atlanta Falcons and founded Home Depot) to get better understanding of his issues and learn that the poison was not the cause.
“Golf was like my safe place,’’ said Bezuidenhout in an interview two years ago. He took up the game at 4 and began playing in tournaments at 8. “I could be myself. I could have the course all to myself, just do my thing. Fortunately I had a love for the game from an early age. And for a long time, I wanted to be a professional golfer.
“I played a bit of rugby at home, but golf just allowed me to do my thing. I have nothing against the other sports, nothing wrong with them. I just like being on my own.’’
That was in part due to the fallout of stuttering. Other kids made fun of him. Golf became a refuge as Bezuidenhout sought the help of speech therapists and counselors.
By age 15, Bezuidenhout was taking various medications, including beta blockers which he said “helped me become more confident and enjoy my life again." He was also becoming a solid golfer, one who was making a name for himself in South Africa and winning various junior tournaments. Speaking at a prize-giving ceremony was not something he envied.
“People at home knew my situation," he said. “So when I won junior tournaments, they just gave me the trophy and I left."
It was during the 2014 British Amateur at Royal Portrush that Bezuidenhout’s career could have ended before it really got on track.
He tested positive for a banned substance, the prescribed beta blockers he was taking. Bezuidenhout had no idea they were illegal, although ignorance is not a defense when it comes to performance enhancing drugs.
In fact, Bezuidenhout had listed the beta blockers on a form prior to taking the drug test. Nonetheless, he was suspended from competition for two years, a brutal blow for a player who was 18 years old.
“There were a lot of people who thought I took the medication to help my game," he said. “There was a lot of negativity. It was difficult. I wanted to show people that I could play golf and play well without taking it."
And so he stopped. Bezuidenhout has not taken beta blockers since. He also had his two-year ban reduced to nine months, and during that time kept to himself, worked on his game and turned pro.
He attributes part of his success to fellow South African and Hall of Famer Ernie Els, who started a foundation meant to nurture and prepare golfers. Bezuidenhout took part in that program for six years and has become friends with the four-time major champion, visiting him at his home whenever he comes to the United States.
Still, there is a stigma about stuttering which Byrd said makes it difficult to help those who have the affliction.
In fact, she has worked with President Biden, who also stutters but does his best to conceal it due to the political ramifications of such fallout. “It shows people who stutter can achieve anything they set their mind to," Byrd said. “I just wish he stuttered more openly and shared it more. But the stakes are too high for him to do so because of the public stigma towards stuttering."
That is why, in Bezuidenhout’s case, she encourages him to not worry about it when he does interviews.
“The best thing he can do is stutter out in the open," she said. “He’s not doing better because he’s too fluent, but he’s doing better because he’s talking more. He’s not afraid for other people to see it. And that in and of itself is going to change lives."
A victory at the Players Championship would change his professional life for sure. He made four birdies through 14 holes Friday and was tied with Adam Svensson at 8 under par, two ahead of Ben Griffin, Collin Morikawa and Min Woo Lee when play was suspended late in the afternoon.
The round will resume at 7 a.m. Saturday.