Griffin strikes a life balance

By Alexander Dabb

When asked about how he manages to deal with the pressures of playing as a professional golfer and travelling on tour with a fivemonth-old baby and four-year-old at home, Matthew Griffin chuckles.

"A very understanding wife,” he said with a laugh.

“I guess the biggest thing is that the cost of travel has been, when I used to go away and play tournaments it was just going away to try and make money and do well, whereas now you've got the family, so I guess the pressure on you to play well, that I put on myself, that's greater to make sure when I'm away from home that I'm doing well."

While family life is the priority for Griffin, golf remains his source of income, and attempting to strike a balance between the two has seen him have to make some tough decisions regarding his schedule both now and in the future.

"Yeah, sort of probably the last 12 months I've played a bit more than I would generally like to, but really decided going forward from here that I'll play like a schedule of around 20 weeks,” Griffin said.

“If I'm good enough to keep playing on that schedule then I will, if I'm not then I'll look to do something else." major winner was Jim Ferrier, in 1937.

As the PGA Tour of Australasia season winds to a close, Griffin is keen to spend as much of the off-season with his family as possible, with no firm plans for the winter other than a short stint in Japan.

"It's been a really big 15 months, I've played I think 39 events in the last 15 months, so it's been very busy,” he said.

“So, we're going to have a bit of time off and go away with the family for three weeks, just have some down time, and then I've got three events in June in Japan, so I'll just get ready for those and see how that goes, and then figure out what I do across winter."

“I mean, it's awesome, it's definitely something I've always wanted to do, to win a state open and to do it so early on in my career was really unbelievable for me last year,” Crowe said.

“To do it in front of so many family and friends, that was definitely the biggest win to that date. So, it was um, it was awesome."

Crowe has already made the most of the perks that come with earning a spot in The Masters field, playing four practice rounds before returning to Australia for the NSW Open, which he said was a surreal moment seeing Augusta National free from spectators.

"Yeah. I mean, it's truly amazing. It's definitely a little bit strange not seeing patrons there, but I know that'll change in a few weeks, but yeah, it's obviously, it's probably the most watched tournament growing up as a kid,” Crowe said.

“To be able to play there in general, it was just an amazing experience, just to be able to see like how holes play and some of those greens and watch these guys hit certain shots over the years on TV and try to recreate it.

“It was just an awesome experience and then to really be there and go, okay well, all these could do a strap for the (logo)

And while every time he takes to the course he is trying to win, Crowe is putting no expectations on what sort of performance he will pull out at Augusta.

"I think if I just hold my head up high regardless of the result. I mean, I feel like my game really suits that golf course and my games in a good spot that I can contend. So, I think I just want to go out there and treat it like a normal event, and really just soak it all in and just go try and have fun and try to put on a show."

While he has plenty to look forward to in the weeks and months ahead, Crowe is firmly focused on the task at hand, that being the defence of his NSW Open crown.

“My game feels really good, I quite like this golf course as well, it's such a nice layout and it's going to be some pretty low scores I think out here this week,” Crowe said.

“So if I can really put myself in positions, especially off the tee I can really capitalise. I feel like everything’s in a good spot, and I mean if I can go over to Augusta with a nice handy result this week, it'll be a big confidence booster."

Despite being destined for big things, Crowe isn’t in a rush to leave the amateur ranks and turn professional.

"I'll play The Open in July so I have to remain amateur for that, but at this time, it’s really just focusing on these the next few weeks, really."