Former Cricketer To Have a Crack at Professional Golf

Post by Sports Writer Derek Clements

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ANYBODY who plays golf knows how tough a game it is. Just when you think that you've got it cracked, it jumps up and bites you in the backside. So you would think that people who have made a living from playing other sports would know that golf is not a comfortable option. And certainly not when it is your second career choice.

You may remember the cricketer Craig Kieswetter. Born in South Africa, he moved to England and established himself as a wicketkeeper-batsman with Somerset. He was a flamboyant batsman with a reputation fro scoring runs quickly and he soon came to the attention of the England selectors. He made his debut for the England one-day-international team in 2010 and soon afterwards was also picked to play for T20 side.

Then, in 2014, his life was shattered when, during a match for Somerset, a fast ball broke through his helmet guard and broke his nose and cheekbone. It caused permanent damage to his eyesight and last year he was forced to admit defeat and retire from professional cricket.

Guess what? He has re-emerged as a golfer and says that he want to qualify to play on the European Tour by the time he is 30. The clock is ticking - he recently turned 29.

"All of this happened to me when I was having lessons with David Leadbetter," says Kieswetter. "David asked me, 'Are you looking to progress with this?’ That’s the equivalent of Graham Gooch telling Rory McIlroy he has what it takes to become a pro cricketer."

Kieswetter is not the first to think he can make a go of it as a professional golfer, and he won't be the last. But if he achieves any degree of success, that most certainly would be a first.

The likes of footballers Roy Wegerle, Julian Dicks, Andriy Shenchenko and Jimmy Bullard, and tennis players Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Ivan Lendl have all tried to make it in golf and all have failed.

Kieswetter, whose father owns a distillery, said: ‘You miss a couple of cuts and you think, maybe not, but then you do well and the belief comes flooding back. I see it as an exciting thing. Due to my injury, as soon as I hit the ball I’m not quite sure where it has gone" says Craig. "Mind you, they tell me Jack Nicklaus had an issue with depth perception. So I don’t think it’s that big a drawback.”

He will turn professional next spring. "At the beginning there was a bit of: who does he think he is? Even now, every tournament I go to I’m introduced as the ex-England cricketer. It does frustrate me. But it was the same when I first played cricket. Then it was, 'Here’s the lad from the affluent family'. That desire to prove people wrong was quite a big thing for me."

Here, we take a look at some of the men who have tried to make the grade in golf, and the woman who showed them all how it should be done.

Roy Wegerle

A journeyman striker with Chelsea, QPR, Blackburn Rovers and Coventry City, Wegerle hung up his boots having represented USA at the 1998 World Cup. But retirement left a void; “During my football career, I would only ever play golf three or four times a year and I never knew what the game was all about. But I needed something to occupy me so I joined a golf club,” he remembers. “When my handicap came down to scratch so quickly, I was as shocked as everyone else.” Wegerle went on to win a couple of events on the Celebrity Tour in America before turning pro in 2002. He had a bash at Open Championship regional qualifying that year, but a 5-over-par tally at Hadley Wood wasn’t enough. “I've become hooked on the game,” he announced afterwards. “I don't know where it's all going to end up.” Last month, Wegerle finished tied for 16th at the Minor League Golf Tour’s Ocean Breeze Shootout in South Florida. His prize? $40.80.

Andriy Shevchenko

When the Ukranian legend signed for Chelsea in 2007, he made sure his priorities were in order. Before he had met all of his new team mates, learned the English language or even decorated his home, he headed straight for Wentworth to enquire about membership. The 7-handicapper has since spent every spare minute on the fairways of the Surrey course – and it’s exclusive neighbour, The Wisley – which may explain his on-pitch demise at Stamford Bridge. When he retited from football in 2012, Shev joined the Challenge tour and played in a couple of events, notably the Kharkiv Open in Ukraine in which he shot 84 & 86 and missed the cut, languishing a whopping 40 shots off the lead. Former world tennis number one Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia, another golf-obsessed sportsman, also missed the cut on 16 over.

Ivan Lendl

The Czech was a wonderful tennis player, blessed with guile and touch. He won eight Grand Slam tournaments but, significantly, failed to win the Wimbledon crown. Not being able to win on grass is a problem for a golfer, but it didn't stop the left-hander announcing after his retirement from the tennis circuit that he intended to become a professional golfer. He was even given a spot in the Czech Open. Despite a huge media following, Lendl missed the cut by a country mile. Nobody can deny that he was a decent golfer, but a tour pro? Never.

Julian Dicks

The former West Ham and Liverpool defender always had an overblown opinion of his talent as a footballer - a view that was not universally shared.  After retiring as a footballer, Dicks took up golf and turned professional, but he was forced to quit because of a knee injury. The fact that he realised he was nowhere near good enough also played a part. He went on to run a pub instead.

Babe Zaharias

The exception that proves the rule. Mildred Ella Didrikson Zahariaswon gold in the hurdles and javelin and silver in the long jump at the 1932 Olympic Games andwas also a basketball star. She then turned to golf, winning the US and British Ladies Amateurs before turning pro. She then achieved the Grand Slam – winning all three Majors at the time – and later became the first woman to compete on the men’s tour.