Tiia Koivisto’s race week in South Africa turned out to be quite special. After the surprise revealed in the morning, the Finn decided to change his accommodation.
Golfer Tiia Koiviston The race week in South Africa took an unexpected turn on Monday, when the Finn had to change his accommodation.
The reason was not easy, as Koivisto faced a rough sight in the lift of the hostel on Monday morning.
“When we woke up in the morning and were about to go to the field to train, we noticed that there was a lot of blood in front of the elevator on our floor. It had also been splashed on the elevator door,” says Koivisto.
The women’s European tour is played this week in Johannesburg, South Africa. Koivisto got accommodation together with a Scottish player friend Laura Beveridgen and with this husband. They had rented an Airbnb apartment in a well-regarded and one of the safest areas of Johannesburg.
Everything had to be okay. The area was guarded and surrounded by an electric fence.
“When we got to the cabin, it was thought that the front door was a bit rickety. It only had one lock. There were no keys for the locks in the bedrooms, and we’ve heard that it’s fine here to lock yourself in the bedroom at night. If someone broke in, there would be a little more time to react,” Koivisto says.
“It was decided that we would watch for one night and then think about it.”
Koivisto didn’t go further into the bloody stairwell in the morning. After the observations of my friend Beveridge’s husband, the decision to change the accommodation was easy.
“He said the hallway was completely covered in blood. That’s when we decided to look elsewhere. Accommodation here doesn’t cost that much anyway. We wanted peace of mind, that we don’t have to be afraid every night.”
New accommodation was found in the hotel. The renter of the Airbnb apartment was not agreeing to a refund for what happened, because nothing had happened in the apartment. After a day, however, the renter’s mind had changed.
“The sound on the clock changed. He was really sorry for what happened and of course we will get the money back. You don’t stay to find out what happened in the end,” says Koivisto.
South Africa are not the safest corners in the world. In the travel bulletin of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is described, that “the disadvantage of South Africa is the country’s high crime rate, the figures are the highest in the world”. In the bulletin, it is said that robberies and thefts are common everywhere, and it is recommended to avoid moving alone and in unfamiliar areas.
Koivisto says that this was also known. He says that the travel covers of the golf bags of the players who came on the second flight had already been tampered with at the airport. Hats and sunglasses had been taken from the bags.
According to Koivisto, last year one player was robbed by the police.
“In any case, the local players here have given tips that if, for example, the police stop you, you should say let’s go to the gas station, so you won’t necessarily get robbed.”
Koivisto30, was on a two-week break before the Johannesburg race and focused on training.
“There have been some problems with my back. After traveling for a long time, my back felt a bit stuck and I was feeling a bit nervous, but the game felt really good”, Koivisto commented on his opening round.
Koivisto, who played round results of 75 and 77, did not make it to Saturday’s final round. Finns are also participating in the competition Sanna Nuutinen, Emily Penttilä and Linda Osala.
Koivisto has won one European tour competition in his professional career. The victory came in May 2022 in France.
Next week, Koivisto and other Finns will play in Cape Town.