Former Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting took his plus 1 handicap across the ditch this week to compete in the Celebrity Challenge section of the New Zealand golf Open in Queenstown.
With the rest of the cricket world in World Cup mode, Ponting is the best golfer of the 10 international cricketers in the Challenge, joining former teammate Shane Warne, two West Indian legends in Brian Lara and Sir Vivian Richards, one of the greatest all-rounders of all-time Sir Ian Botham, England offie Graeme Swann, and former Kiwi skipper Stephen Fleming with teammates Mark Richardson, Nathan Astle, and the only Black Cap-All Black in the field, Jeff Wilson.
All of them are very handy and passionate golfers, especially Fleming. New Zealand’s most successful run-getter as a champion left-handed opening batsmen, plays golf right-handed off a 9 handicap.
That reminds me of Mark Taylor and Rod Marsh, two thumping left-handed batsmen who couldn’t play golf left-handed to save their lives, but were single-figure right-handed golfers.
The full field and their handicaps: Ponting plus 1, Astle and Wilson off 4, Swann off 6, Lara and Richardson off 8, Fleming and Sir Ian off 9, Sir Vivian off 10, with Warne the high marker off 12.
But it’s Warne showing the way in the Pro-Am two-ball best-ball event, partnering one of Australia’s most popular pro golfers of the last two decades, Peter O’Malley.
The man they call ‘POM’ is closing in on his 50th birthday, when he will head back to Europe to play on the Senior tour. But O’Malley missed the cut in Queenstown, which means Warne has fired big time with the pair at 19-under after 36 holes, leading Richardson and little-known Australian pro Kristopher Mueck, who is in contention in the Open at 8-under.
The pair are second in the Challenge at 16-under – mighty good golf.
Next is Lara, partnering Kiwi pro Michael Long, at 11-under. Then there are three pairings on 10-under – Sir Vivian and Kiwi pro Ryan Fox, Sir Ian with Australian pro Scott Strange, and Astle with another Kiwi pro, Richard Lee.
Then comes Fleming with his Kiwi pro, Mark Brown, on 9-under. Wilson and New Zealand pro Mark Purser are at 7-under, with Ponting bringing up the tail of the field at just 4-under with young Australian pro Daniel Popovic, who missed the Open cut at 3-over.
I only saw Ponting play four holes yesterday, but he was striking the ball superbly, hitting it long and straight, but missing birdie putts. He is a class golfer, no argument about that, but there’s no way he’ll peg back an on-fire Shane Warne.
The Celebrity Challenge Pro-Am within the New Zealand Open raised a few eyebrows originally, but it’s a treat watching cricket giants coping with their second sport.
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