Ninth in a series of stories highlighting the academic, community and personal achievements of University of Toledo student-athletes.

By Nicklas Nordgren, University of Toledo Athletic Communications intern
 

Moving away to college can be difficult. So can moving to another country. Doing both things in the middle of pandemic is another thing altogether.
 
NJ Botha, a sophomore on the University of Toledo men's golf team, joined the Rockets in the fall of 2019, then saw his freshman season halted by COVID-19. Younger brother Barend, on the other hand, enrolled at UToledo last fall, immediately entering a world of social distancing and online classes.
 
Yet, it all seems to be working out just fine for both of them.
 
The Bothas are from the golf-crazy country of South Africa. Their father, Nico Botha, was a successful golfer so the boys grew up with clubs in their hands.
 
"My father introduced me to the game at a young age and I just fell in love with it," said NJ.
 
"Playing golf definitely came from my father," added Barend. "I remember using classic balls and clubs that he had in his office."
 
The Bothas are very competitive with one another, on the golf course and elsewhere. That competition carries over to the classroom where NJ is carrying a 3.96 GPA in accounting, while Barend earned 3.37 GPA in his first semester as a management major. "We keep pushing each other and motivating each other," said NJ.
 
The Bothas are accustomed to academic challenges. They attended an Afrikaans-language school for the first couple years of high school and spoke Afrikaans in the home. They later moved to an English-speaking school, the McKinlay Reid International School, which focuses on athletic and academic development. It was their first exposure to English in an academic setting and getting comfortable in a new language took time.
 
"Back home, Afrikaans is our first language and English is our second language," said NJ. "Afrikaans and English are similar in some ways, but it was definitely a tough transition."
 
Added Barend, "The first year was definitely difficult learning English. Having to learn full meanings and terms was very difficult."
 
The Bothas grew up knowing they wanted to play golf on some level. They draw inspiration from the many South Africans on the PGA Tour, some of whom are practically their neighbors. "Louis Oosthuizen grew up 15 minutes away from our hometown," said NJ. "And Ernie Els has visited our hometown, as well."
 
Despite the lure of professional golf, NJ decided to take the collegiate route to the fairways after he saw fellow South African Jovan Rebula, from the Bothas' hometown of George, make a name for himself at Auburn and later on the PGA Tour. "I saw the success that Jovan had, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps," said NJ.

NJ chose The University of Toledo, and Barend followed a year later. The first couple of months away from home were difficult for NJ. "I had no family or friends when I came over to the U.S.," he said. "I really had to get out of my comfort zone." But he eventually settled into a routine and made Toledo his new home.
 
His new life, of course, was disrupted midway through his second semester. When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in North America, NJ returned to South Africa. His new routine would sound familiar to most students – online classes and four walls. He did not return to UToledo until this year's second semester.
 
Barend's pandemic experience was perhaps even more challenging. He first semester was spent online from his home in South Africa, arriving on campus with Barend in January. "I found it quite difficult to do remote learning," said Barend. "There were larger workloads, deadlines. I really needed more assistance."
 
The one plus of Barend's delayed arrival was he got to play golf with NJ almost every day. Head Coach Jeff Roope said that may have given him a little boost heading into this spring. "It gave Barend a chance to be at home and train with his brother," said Roope. "It gave him a comfortable start and he could really go at his own pace."
 
As day-to-day life makes its way back to normalcy, the Botha brothers are beginning to hit their stride on the links. Barend leads the squad with a 72.7 stroke average and has had three top-10 finishes, including a five-under 211 at the Hawkeye Invitational on April 17-18, good enough for seventh place. NJ is not far behind at 74.7, with his best effort coming at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate on Feb. 16 when he shot a four-under 212.
 
Roope is excited for the future of the brother tandem. He said both players bring a unique skill set to the team.
 
"NJ is focused, hard-working, and has the discipline in the classroom and on the golf course to focus on all aspects of golf and class," said Roope. "He's going to get bigger, faster, and stronger. More competition will lead to increased success and comfortability for him.
 
"For Barend, the sky is the limit. He is really talented and has outperformed expectations. He could be one of the best to come through Toledo."

Previous Stories
Feb. 24 - Tycen Anderson Draws Inspiration From His Grandmother
March 3 - Thailand Native Thawin Suksathaporn has found a home in Toledo
March 10 -  Freshmen Women's Tennis Players Take Aim at Medical School
March 17 - Lexa Bauer's Passion for Justice Leads Her Toward a Law Career
March 24 - Alexia Moehling on Track to Career as a Dentist
March 31 - Lauren Wegener Takes the Fast Lane
April 8 - Jacob Harris is on Track to Becoming a Coach
April 15 - Lavel Dumont Builds a Unique Friendship Out of Shared Love of Football