Q Golf - Official online magazine for Golf Queensland QGolf - Spring 2017 | Page 14

LEGEND GOLFER BECOMES A
STARSTRUCK FAN
By Tony Durkin
But the Sanctuary Cove-based veteran has a golf ball
collection that confirms he becomes somewhat starstruck
when in the company of superstars from other sports. And
for that reason, his anticipation grows on the eve of every
ProAm event on the Ladbrokes Legends Tour.
“I really admire successful sporting people,” he confessed.
“I know how difficult it is to master my chosen sport, so I
appreciate those from other sporting professions who have
reached the top. And because I play in so many ProAms I
get to meet several of them.”
And when they do meet, Craig seeks their autograph – on a
golf ball. But while he is in awe of the best, he is selective.
“My yardstick is world champions, Olympic gold medallists,
major golf and tennis winners and those very rare grand
slam titleholders,” he said.
“Yet when it comes to Aussies I ask those who are simply
champions in my eyes, and in particular guys from my
favourite team sports of rugby league and cricket.”
Craig recently hit the jackpot at the Legends ProAm at
The Brisbane Golf Club when he met a trio of legends. And
not only was he able to have his Volvik golf balls signed by
Andrew Slack (Wallabies Grand Slam captain), Pat Rafter
(US Open tennis champion) and current Australian batsman
Usman Khawaja, but he has a photograph as proof.
“For me, it was literally a smorgasbord of my revered
sportsmen. I was in hero land,” he said.
Gold Coast professional
Craig Warren has plied
his trade alongside some
of the best golfers to
grace the world’s fairways,
including Jack Nicklaus, Seve
Ballesteros and Greg Norman.
Also playing that day were rugby league Immortal Wally
Lewis and cricketing great Jeff Thomson, but Craig has
already secured their signatures for his golf ball collection
of ‘many more than 50’.
“I don’t have a specific target number-wise, but without
sounding like a sporting snob I do have my standards,”
he said.
CRAIG WARREN
Among those signatures already in the collection are
golfers Retief Goosen, Jan Stephenson, Kel Nagle, Annika
Sörenstam and Bernard Langer, swimmer Michael Klim,
motorcyclist Casey Stoner, tennis legend Ken Rosewall,
cricket icon Doug Walters, F1 motor racing champion Sir
Jack Brabham and rugby league Immortal Reg Gasnier. The
autograph from the late Gasnier came in a rather
unusual situation.
“I had a double-take when I walked by him, then returned
after finishing my round and asked him to sign my ball. And
it was a first for him – he had never signed a golf
ball previously.”
But an encounter with another rugby league Immortal
didn’t have the desired result.
“I played in a Pro Am with Artie Beetson in Rockhampton,
and he also signed a ball for me. Unfortunately, his
signature has since worn off,” he said.
Craig Warren turned professional in 1986 and his biggest
win was in Japan in 1994 when he beat Japanese legend
Jumbo Ozaki by a stroke. In doing so he won a car, and
a cow.
“The event was sponsored by Kagoshima Beef and part of
the prize was a cow that had been fed with beer,”
he revealed.
“Obviously I couldn’t keep the cow, so it was sold and I was
given the proceeds - $10,000. The car, a Rover, was sold for
$20,000, so it was an exceptional payday.”
But winning that tournament was not his greatest golfing
thrill. That came a year earlier, also in Japan, when playing
in the Casio World Open alongside his golfing idol,
Seve Ballesteros.
“For me, that was golfing heaven,” he said.
“I said to my caddy that day that I didn’t care how I played,
I just wanted to watch Seve the wizard in action. He walked
past me in the locker room after our round and simply put
his hand on my shoulder, as a mate might do. That made
me feel ten feet tall.”
Craig says his signed golf ball collection currently sits at
home in a draw, but his intention is to put them on display
in his home.
“My brother Mark is very creative and he has offered to
make a frame so they can be properly displayed. I suppose
there’s not much point in asking people to sign them if
they are locked away in the cupboard,” he said.
“Quite a few years ago I was playing in a tournament at
Woolooware Golf Club in Sydney and Reg was sitting in a
chair adjacent to the green, registering our scores,”
Craig recalled.
ANDREW SLACK, CRAIG WARREN, PAT RAFTER AND USMAN KHAWAJA
14 Q Golf
Spring 2017
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www.golfqueensland.org.au
Spring 2017
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