The only Rugby World Cup-winning All Black first-five – so far – is in Queenstown this week for golf.
Grant Fox, a hero of the 1987 Cup-winning team, is caddying for his son Ryan at The Hills today and tomorrow.
Ryan, 24 – one of the most exciting prospects in New Zealand golf for many years – spearheads the Kiwi team in the inaugural Four Nations Cup.
The amateur strokeplay event also features four-man teams from Australia, South Africa and Argentina.
The four-day event finishes on Sunday but Grant is leaving weekend bag-carrying duties to his wife or brother to resume RWC commentary duties in Auckland.
Grant and Ryan were at The Hills two years ago, at the NZ Open.
“[Ryan] didn’t do so well but when you’re a young amateur golfer, to play in your country’s national Open is an honour,” Grant says.
The course was “demanding”, he recalls.
“Not much off the fairway, it was like a hay paddock, but like most golf courses, if you hit it long and straight and hole a few putts, you can score.”
Grant says his son has had “a very good year”.
“He’s been very solid, won a few times, did well in America, did well in Australia earlier in the year, he’s made a lot of progress.”
The Four Nations may be Ryan’s amateur swansong as he hopes to qualify as a pro.
Grant concedes his bag-carrying days may be numbered.
“[Ryan] needs someone who’s full-time with him, who doesn’t have perhaps the same emotional link, and secondly, someone who can generally help him on the course – it’s not me.”
Asked to compare goal-kicking, which he was famous for, with swinging a golf club, Grant says: “There’s a lot of similarities in terms of what you’re trying to do with transferring of your body weight and hip and shoulder turns.”
As to why so many kicks at this World Cup have been off-target, Grant agrees it may be something to do with the ball.
“I do understand there’s very little margin for error with this ball. It just means that you’ve got to be spot-on all the time and that’s not easy to do.”
Grant says he’s been “a bit blown away” by this World Cup.
“I always believed this would be a big event, bigger than many New Zealanders realised – it’s even been bigger than that. I’ve been most impressed with the numbers we’ve got to the so-called minnow games.
“The Martin Sneddens have done an amazing job but the public of NZ have too – they’ve come through.”
But Grant would also like people to support this week’s Four Nations golf.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to do a bit of travelling with Ryan and there’s a lot of these guys I’ve seen play, from all four teams.
“There’ll be some top-quality golf here.”
The Hills was also due to host two 72-player tournaments this month.
However organiser Lindsay Singleton of Auckland says he pulled the plug because insufficient top-end RWC punters have turned up in NZ. “It’s a terrible disappointment as a lot of time and effort went into this.
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