It wasn’t the day Croker was after when he arrived on the property of Royal Melbourne today for round of the Australian Open.
A tough back-nine saw him grind to a two-over-par 73, which is currently sharing 90th.
“You couldn’t have picked a tougher day to start for your first round at the Australian Open,” Croker tells Golf Australia Magazine with a laugh.
“It was definitely a solid start. We got out of the gate fast, kept the score around even par, and then we made a couple of birdies to get it under.
“Then all of a sudden, you just hit some shots that just aren’t quite good enough, and Royal Melbourne tells you that they’re not good enough.
“Made some bogeys coming in and ended up with a pretty average score in the end after what felt like a pretty good day of golf.”
Croker contested the 2023 Asia Pacific Amateur at Royal Melbourne and admits there is still some scar tissue from that week when the Sandbelt layout played firm and fast.
They are conditions we can expect over the coming days.
“I didn’t get chips to the hole [in 2023]. There was just some of that scar tissue left there, which I have to get over for tomorrow, I guess,” Croker says.
Croker proved last week that he possesses all the qualities necessary to excel in big tournaments featuring star players, finishing inside the top 20 at the Australian PGA Championship.
When you watch the Royal Queensland product walk the fairways during this country’s biggest event, he looks super relaxed and content, yet is evidently in maximum control of his golf game.
“Then all of a sudden, you just hit some shots that just aren’t quite good enough, and Royal Melbourne tells you that they’re not good enough.”- Quinn Croker.
Croker is fairly fresh in the play-for-pay ranks and has certainly been enjoying the jump from the amateur game. Taking the good with the bad.
His short game was slightly off today, which is all it has to be around the Composite Course. His ball striking, though, was as elite as you’ll see, especially in the swirling gusts sweeping across the layout throughout the morning.
“You have the good weeks, and you have the bad weeks; missing a cut feels even worse,” Croker says.
“A good week and playing some decent golf for 72 holes does make you feel a lot more rewarded because you see the paycheck, which helps you go to the next week, and week after that.
“I’ve had some good opportunities in the first 14, 15, 16 months of being a pro. I hope those continue and just keep taking the opportunities that we get.”
Playing on the Australasian Tour is Croker’s main priority for 2026, but he has gained some status on Europe’s Hotel Planner Tour through qualifying school and is still weighing up what opportunity he takes abroad.
“The main focus is the Aussie tour for the rest of the season, which finishes in March, April,” he says.
“A goal is to win an Aussie tour event, finish high on the order of merit. That’s where we’re looking.
“Then, once that finishes, we’ll look more at Europe and the Hotel Planner, using the category we have to try to play some events and work our way into a DP World Card through that.
On the bag for Croker full-time is Kiwi caddie, Oli Newman.
He says his boss’ ability to stay in the moment really sticks out and that he has a knack for staying in control regardless of the hand he is dealt. This is some praise towards a young man who is 22 and barely a year into a pro career.
“His ability to be present in the moment, whether he’s birdied the last hole or bogeyed it, he’s just so locked in over the next shot, and it’s such a key trait for successful professional golf.”
“A good week and playing some decent golf for 72 holes does make you feel a lot more rewarded because you see the paycheck, which helps you go to the next week, and week after that.” – Quinn Croker.
Croker believes that it is still something he is developing, the mentality to flush the bad and move on with what comes next.
“Once we get to the next shot, it’s all about the next shot,” he says.
“I think that’s where consistency comes from, is that ability to just be in the moment, no matter what you’re dealing with.
“That being said, it didn’t quite work out today, but that’s usually a thing that I like to focus on.”
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