‘HE WAS MY HERO'

Golfer Wayne Westner’s daughter Chané opens up about her dad’s 2017 suicide to raise awareness about mental health

- CARLA COETZEE

HE WAS one of South Africa’s most talented golfers but a freak accident changed that and his life started falling apart piece by piece. Eventually it all became too much for Wayne Westner.

Fans were stunned by the news in 2017 that the 55-year-old champion had shot himself in front of his estranged wife, Alison, at their home on a golf estate in Pennington, KwaZulu-Natal.

For more than four years his family remained silent about what had happened on that tragic day but now his daughter Chané Todd (31) has decided to speak out in the hope that she can help others by raising awareness of mental health issues.

“There’s so much guilt that goes with it,” Chané, a Mrs South Africa 2021 semifinalist, tells YOU. “But I want people to remember that my dad was much more than just that day. He was an exceptional man.”

Golfing fans will recall that Wayne and his SA teammate, Ernie Els, won the 1996 World Cup, which took place in Somerset West, Cape Town.

But to Chané, a mom of two, he wasn’t only a golf champ – he was her charismatic, loving father who enjoyed cooking for the family in his sarong.

“He was well read and philosophical, and he was incredibly knowledgeable,” she says. “I still have moments when I want to call him and ask for his advice.”

FOR years Wayne had the golfing world abuzz. Gary Player described him as one of the most talented players on the circuit. Ernie was also a big fan.

“I’d never seen anyone who could hit a golf ball like that – for miles,” he said of Wayne. “There was nothing he couldn’t do with a golf ball.”