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<\/p>\nThe cricketing greats lined up at Queenstown\u2019s Millbrook Resort for their first practice rounds today ahead of the Pro-Am tournament (Thursday March 9 to Sunday March 12).<\/p>\n
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Fun times ahead \u2013 lining up at Millbrook Resort ahead of this week\u2019s ISPS Handa New Zealand Open are (L to R) Brendon McCullum, Shane Warne, Stephen Fleming, Ricky Ponting, Sir Ian Botham and Allan Border \u2013 Photo Credit: Photosport.nz<\/em><\/p>\n The good-natured banter and laughs flew as each took turns at potting their opponents while talking up their own game.<\/p>\n On a chilly Queenstown morning with a dusting of fresh snow on the mountains, Botham said he\u2019d walked out in his shorts that morning then walked straight back in to change into something warmer.<\/p>\n With a tongue-in-cheek admission that he didn\u2019t play too much golf in the UK because of the weather, he said he\u2019d headed to Spain for some practice.<\/p>\n \u201cThat didn\u2019t help at all, but I\u2019m always pretty confident!\u201d<\/p>\n Describing his golf prowess as \u201cpretty ordinary\u201d, Warne said he was in \u201cfine form\u201d off the field.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m hoping that if I continue in that vein, by the time Thursday comes around I could be in tremendous form on the golf course as well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n McCullum and Border were unanimous in how terrified they were when it came to standing on the first tee on day one.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t get over how nervewracking that is, more than any other time in sport,\u201d said Border. \u201cI\u2019ve definitely had some moments here I would rather forget. I\u2019m not used to having people standing so close when I\u2019m playing golf, there\u2019s every chance I\u2019m going to whack one!\u201d<\/p>\n And McCullum agreed. \u201cWe\u2019re all obviously incredible golf enthusiasts who can\u2019t wait to get out there, but all extremely anxious about standing on the first tee!\u201d<\/p>\n Fleming said he was \u201cvery pleased\u201d with the course change at Millbrook where the final hole is a par-3 coming onto a green in front of the historic Millhouse building.<\/p>\n With tongue firmly in cheek he declared that Millbrook was an anti-clockwise course so he planned to play it left-handed. Talking tactics, he said \u201cIt\u2019s a bit like the America\u2019s Cup where at some stage you\u2019ve got to show your hand.\u201d<\/p>\n Coming back to the tournament for his fourth year in a row, Ricky Ponting said he was making it a family affair, with his dad as caddy and his brother also playing in the event.<\/p>\n \u201cI always get out the calendar at the beginning of the year and book out this week in early March,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re all here to have fun and stay out of the way of our pro\u2019s. We\u2019ve got to be pretty mindful of what our pros are going through. We\u2019ve all played in front of thousands of people, but this is a little bit out of our comfort zone.\u201d<\/p>\n The celebrity players were all unanimous in praising NZ Open chairman John Hart and director Michael Glading for inviting them to the event.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all love being part of this,\u201d said Warne. \u201cWe\u2019re all competitive people and we all want to play a lot better than we do. We\u2019re very grateful to be invited. John Hart and the team do a great job.\u201d<\/p>\n A total of 14 celebrity amateurs will play\u00a0as part of the tournament\u2019s popular and successful Pro-Am format, including Grant Fox, Sir Russell Coutts, Japanese baseball star Masumi Kuwata, Olympian Tom Walsh, hockey player Ryan Archibald, Jeff Wilson, chef Josh Emett and Australian TV personality Kerri-Anne Kennerley.<\/p>\n Watch Shane Warne talk up his golf game here.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>\n
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