Craig to Chase Golf Dream

A Marlborough golfer is off to the UK to join a professional tour - thanks to the support of proud fellow players.

Blenheim man Chas Craig will jet off to Britain to take part in the prestigious Clutch Pro Tour.

Friends and Club members have raised $14,000 to support Chas’s travel, entry fees and ongoing costs.

“I can’t thank everyone that supported me last weekend enough” says Chas while competing at the Autex Muriwai Open – his final domestic competition before the Clutch Pro Tour gets underway over the first weekend of May.

“I had planned a little fundraising tournament, but John and Lance said ‘no, we’re going big for this’”.

Since concentrating on golf after a prevalent multi-sport career at Marlborough Boys’ College, Chas has been giving back to the Marlborough sports community by doing his PGA Traineeship and being instrumental in growing the local junior golf ranks.

“Chas and the Craig family are real Marlborough icons across so many sports,” says Lance Nuttall, one of the driving forces behind the fundraising efforts alongside John ‘Kernie’ Davis.

“He’s a local kid that’s given so much back to the Marlborough junior golf scene doing coaching and his pro apprenticeship here – and he’s such a likeable character to have around on a daily basis in the pro shop,” Lance says.

The Clutch Pro Tour is a newly elevated Feeder Tour for the European Challenge Tour and the DP World Tour, the latter of which fellow Kiwi Ryan Fox finished second in behind Rory McIlroy.

It consists of thirty-six multi-day competitions across the UK, with a guaranteed £1.8 million ($3.6 million) purse, two 2024 Challenge Tour entry cards and invites to 2024 Challenge Tour and DP World Tour events.

Lance and John were instrumental in organising the two events, and the idea was wholeheartedly adopted by the club’s membership.

“John has known Chas for years and has watched him grow into an excellent young man. He felt that the least he and the club could do was to support his overseas aspirations after all the dedication he has shown us.”

Friday’s fundraising fun combined with a sponsors evening at the club, where one hundred supporters took part in competitive long drive competitions, shootouts and putting competitions alongside raffles and rugby sweepstakes throughout the evening.

Saturday saw an 80-person field take to the Fairhall course, with 45 of the entries reserved for the highest blind entry fees to add to the fundraising kitty.

“It was originally just the Saturday” mentions Lance. “However, it gained traction so rapidly within our members that we couldn’t keep it to just one day.”

“I’ve been really busy getting ready for the trip while also working in the pro shop and then with harvest,” says Chas, “so having John and Lance lead the charge was amazing.”

“It’s epic to have a good turnout for me - the support and great times I have had with the people of Marlborough is unmatched.”

“I know I’ll be getting cheered on the whole way by everyone back home.”

Lance knows it will be bittersweet for everyone at the Marlborough Golf Club seeing Chas go but could not be more excited for him.

“He’ll leave a huge hole to fill at the club and will be sorely missed, but we can’t wait to eagerly follow his adventures.”