'Before, golf was a matter of life and death' - The tragedy Šimon Zach has overcome on way to DP World Tour shot after NEXT Golf Tour success

Mathieu Wood

Šimon Zach, the world number 2,615 and a part-time coach, has experienced two of life's most powerful emotions this year ahead of his appearance at the Nexo Championship; the death of a close friend and the birth of his first child.

Away from the headline stars such as Patrick Reed and defending champion Grant Forrest, the Czech golfer is this week teeing it up in Scotland as an invite after earning a spot through the NEXT Golf Tour.

Exclusively played on Trackman simulators worldwide, Zach won the order of merit title as he finished runner-up across three consecutive events to earn playing opportunities on both the DP World Tour and HotelPlanner Tour this season.

However, soon after that high, the 30-year-old experienced heartbreak.

While competing in a national qualifying event for the Ski&Golf World Championship, where participants test their skills across alpine ski racing and golf, Zach's friend Max Tauchert suffered a life-ending crash while the pair did some out-of-competition skiing at the Špindlerův Mlýn resort.

Despite the efforts of both Zach - a talented skier growing up - and emergency personnel, Tauchert died at the age of 28.

"In the third or fourth skiing [run], he fell off the ski slope into a forest," Zach tells the DP World Tour.

"I tried to call to him but he didn't respond. I went to him but couldn't help him regain consciousness so I called an ambulance.

"They arrived with a helicopter and they [the emergency crew] were trying to get down to the slope, they couldn't because it was really icey and slopey.

"I was trying to move things out of the way so they could come down from the helicopter via a rope.

"But while I was doing this, I slipped in my ski boots, fell and then rolled 200 metres down a cliff."

Zach sustained one broken and three dislocated fingers and heavy bruising as a result, but things could have been far worse.

He added: "It was a really difficult moment. I knew Max since I was a kid and loosing him that day was tragic."

Tragedy often brings with it a change in outlook, and golf is now secondary in life for Zach, especially after becoming a father folowing the birth of his daughter, Mia, just over a month after the death of his childhood friend.

"In my life, I hadn't experienced losing anyone close before, certainly not first hand witnessing it and holding him in my arms.

"One month later, I was holding my newborn daughter. It was two really different, but strong emotions.

"It puts golf achievements or tournaments into a different perspective. Before, it was as if golf was a matter of life or death, but now I see the real perspective. When I fell and was rolling down the hill, all I was thinking was to be able to get home to my pregnant wife and see my daughter grow up."

Before, it was as if golf was a matter of life or death.

A professional since 2019, Zach has made 51 appearances across the DP World Tour and HotelPlanner Tour.

Of his nine on the DP World Tour, almost all have come on home soil. He made his debut as a 15-year-old amateur at the Czech Open in 2011, missing the cut by two shots.

His most recent appearance came two years, again in his homeland, when he made his first ever cut on the DP World Tour, since when he has tried to earn playing rights through Qualifying School.

Joining the likes of Major Champions Reed and this season's multiple winners Eugenio Chacarra and Casey Jarvis in the field at Trump International Golf Links, Zach will play links golf competitively for the first time since his amateur days.

Virtual golf but real money

Such was the impact of his injuries in his own ski fall, he had to withdraw from the first of his three starts on the HotelPlanner Tour that he gained through his success on the NEXT Golf Tour.

Asked whether he thought at the start of the year he'd be competing again on the DP World Tour, Zach replied: "I would have thought it's possible because I always try to dream big and I was hoping to get [back] to the DP World Tour in the last couple of years now.

"I was hoping I was going to get there, but I wasn't sure it was going to be the case. I definitely wasn't thinking that the NEXT Golf Tour would be the way."​

Through his performances on the NEXT Golf Tour, Zach earned $70,000. While a modest figure for most in the professional game, it has eased the pressure on him personally on and off the course.

However, away from top echelons of the game, Zach has experienced the loss-making nature that can come with being a professional golfer.

"It's why I am so glad that my practice has paid off on the NEXT Golf Tour. I would have never imagined this would have been the way it happened.

"If I miss the cut [this week] it's fine. I have the money to pay for it. I don't have to worry if I can stay in the official tournament hotel, hire a caddie or not.

"These things are the life of a professional golfer who is outside the top 300 in the world."

As a result, Zach has moved into coaching in recent years and works as an instructor at Prague City Golf and Oaks Prague.

"It's something that I enjoy and it is also a more stable [source of income] to rely on with family than traveling the world and trying to make a living out of golf," he says.

It remains to be seen if Zach can make the most of competing against some of the world's best but after a year that's featured tragedy and euphoria, he's just happy to have this shot.

"I'm down to earth about my chances," he says. "It's more about enjoying the experience, but I am also ready to compete!"