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HARARE - One of Zimbabwe’s brightest young golf prospects, Sean Crocker, believes he can turn professional sooner than later, says his father Gary.
Gary Crocker, who played in Zimbabwe’s historic first-ever Test cricket match against Indian back in 1992 and went on to play two more in a short international career, has had to personally sponsor his son, 16-year-old Sean.
Crocker Snr left Zimbabwe to settle in the United States in 2002 at the height of the country’s economic crisis, but still wants his son to turn professional under the African country’s flag.
“I left Sean and his mother and sister behind in Zimbabwe until I could set up a job to take care of things over here. He came over showing me his cricket bowling skills and I thought ‘oh no, what have I done, I need to live in a country where they play cricket, he was so good at it,” Crocker told the Daily News.
“I gave him a baseball glove and told him to learn how to play baseball. He became an excellent baseballer and American footballer before I introduced him to a golf club. Quite simply, it wasn't long before he dropped all sports to concentrate on his golf. Incidentally, I also played for the last Rhodesia (as Zimbabwe was known before 1980) junior golf team that toured South Africa in 1978-79, so I knew a little of the game.
“I support Sean financially obviously and follow him with pride at all his golf tournaments. It’s quite exciting watching from the sides. And yes, his goals are definitely to turn pro someday, hopefully after he has completed his degree at a university, where he was given full golfing scholarship. He will tell you he will turn pro way before then. I have financed everything, thank God for credit cards. We try hard to keep our expenses down, but its expenses with all the traveling.”
The young Sean played at the Zimbabwe Open last year on a special invitation from the tournament committee, and his father caddied for him on the trip back home.
“Sean is very proud to be a Zimbabwean, as I am and the rest of my family. Sean played in the Zim Open last year and was stunned by the support from the walking public that came out to watch him. He knows I played for Zimbabwe and how proud I am to have played for Zim, in my sport. He wants to do the same. Obviously having Nick Price and Mark McNulty as close family friends and heroes, it makes him even more proud to play under the Zim flag.”
