Obviously for an American, the first thing that intrigues you is his accent. Especially American women. Just ask my wife, Jill. Well, I have to admit it does sound kind of cool.
But Australian Tim Frazer isn’t here to impress you with his speech. His main goal is to impress you with his golf game. The 26-year-old will be one of the record number of pros teeing it up Friday in the 2011 Greater Cedar Rapids Open (GCRO).
The official GCRO kickoff (or should that be tee off) took place on Wednesday with the annual Pro-Am Dinner party at the Hunters Ridge Lodge. It allowed sponsors and donors, host families, volunteers, and a good number of the competitors to rub elbows, exchange stories, and learn about each other in a relaxed – albeit hot – atmosphere.
Frazer, who played in his first professional tournament last week in the Waterloo Open, is on his second trip to the States. He was here last year on one of my favorite reasons for traveling, “a golf holiday.”
This year is all about business though – well, he is here to have some fun – as he works on his chances of playing golf for a living, not a hobby. From New South Wales, Frazer says playing in the U.S. offers him more opportunities to test his game and make some cash than staying Down Under.
Considered a “playing professional” in Australia, Frazer figures he will spend about $10,000 on this trip. He saved some of his own money and is getting help from his family and his sponsor – bonus time, he’s a travel agent – to test his mettle. He figures after his first go-around with tournaments like the Waterloo Open, the GCRO, the Dakotas Tour, and a try at qualifying for the Nationwide event in Omaha, Neb., he’ll sit down and analyze just where he and his game are at. He’s in the States until September, and then heads home, where he will try again to qualify for the Australian PGA Tour at Q-school.
He’s definitely coming back to the U.S. next year, he says, to see if his game has improved with this year’s experience. Last week’s experience at Waterloo isn’t one he figures to put near the top of the list. He missed the cut. If golf doesn’t pan out, Frazer has a building certification to fall back on. He was even admiring the huge wood beams at the Hunters Ridge Lodge. Back home he works for his dad, who is a contractor. “It makes it easier to get time off,” said Frazer, smiling.
Frazer is staying this week with Mark and Patty Nelson at Hunters Ridge. He has a chance to become the second Australian to win the GCRO. In 2003, Simon Nash of Sydney edged out local favorite Sean McCarty by two strokes to win $15,000. Good luck mate! (I mean, that does sound cool).
For more on Frazer, go to http://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/news/local/sport/golf/us-beckons-for-wentworth-falls-golfer-tim-frazer/2181775.aspx.
Some more coming on Wednesday’s event in the next blog. Right now, it’s 10 p.m. and I’ve still got to cook something to have for our pro guest – Wade Pettitt of Carroll, Iowa, – and my wife’s nephew (and hopefully good caddie), Skylore Kleppe. Oh, and there’s a bathroom to tidy up, too. If you’re wondering what my wife is doing … she’s still thinking about Frazer’s accent! Stay cool on Thursday people.
Don Wojciechowski resides in the Hunters Ridge Golf Course community and plays the course on a regular basis. He’s a former sports editor for a suburban Chicago daily newspaper and an avid golf fan.