Rugby analyst Breyton Paulse is a happy man. The Vodacom Super Rugby performances of the Lions and Stormers recently put a big smile on his face. Now he just wants to get his own golf game in top form again.

Speaking as one of the longtime supporters of the annual Sanlam Cancer Challenge amateur golf tournament in aid of the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA), Paulse said he’s hoping to capitalise on the positive rugby energy and spark a revival in his golf. 

“My game has been a bit off this year. I think the first couple of years of playing was like a honeymoon phase. I could just go and play without fear. Then you hit that patch where things don’t want to work for you. This year I’ve paid more money to my golf mates than I have in the past five years. They keep beating me all the time. But it’s still such a great game.”

Paulse’s passion for golf is what turned his attention towards supporting the Sanlam Cancer Challenge, which sees over 35 000 amateur golfers compete in hundreds of club competitions around South Africa to raise funds for CANSA. In 2014, the event raised over R3.3-million. 

This year’s event is already well underway with the nationwide club competitions. The winners of these progress to the provincial competitions, and the top 100 golfers here qualify to attend the National Final on the Gary Player Country Club and Lost City Golf Club at Sun City from Monday, 19 to Tuesday, 20 October. 

“It’s really an inspirational event. We all know either friends or family members who have been affected by cancer, and I feel it’s important for all of us to try and make a difference, even if it’s just around the awareness of the disease,” said Paulse. 

He’s also a strong supporter of this year’s theme of “Early Detection” as a major factor in beating cancer.

“You never know when something like this will hit you. We need to stay on top of the game, and support from a company like Sanlam helps a lot in terms of funding for cancer research and educating people about correct nutrition and so on. You can never predict life, but you can prevent certain things from happening. It’s so important that people know what to do and what not to do, what to eat and what not to eat because it can have some serious consequences later in life. So I’ll also support it for as long as I can.” 

Registrations are now open for the 2015 Sanlam Cancer Challenge series. 

For more information and to register, visit www.sanlamcancerchallenge.co.za.