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The 38-year-old Melbourne man is one of scores of Australian
professionals hoping to reboot their careers even as health
officials throw up a series of roadblocks.
"Last year, we all kind of thought it would be six months and
we’d all be back out there. Unfortunately it's kind of just kept
dragging on," Griffin told Reuters at a suburban course in
Melbourne.
"It’ll end a lot of careers as well because it’ll be hard for
guys to start back up and you lose that continuity." Most of the
developed world is starting to move on from lockdowns and travel
curbs, allowing globe-trotting golfers to ply their trade again.
But Australia remains frozen in time by a slow vaccination
roll-out. Borders are shut to non-residents and returning
travellers are forced into 14-day hotel quarantine at their own
expense, regardless of their vaccination status.
The curbs have been devastating for the local golf tour which is
a vital proving ground for young talent, a stepping stone to
richer, foreign circuits, and which props up hundreds of
professionals, coaches and administrators.
Australia's top events were all cancelled last year and
officials fear further cuts over the coming summer as internal
travel bans continue to bite.
"It’s sort of this vicious circle of uncertainty that conspires
against us in a challenging fashion," Golf Australia boss James
Sutherland told Reuters. "For players, time is money and they
can’t afford those two weeks in quarantine."
NOT SO FORTUNATE
For Griffin, the pandemic struck just after hitting his stride
on the Japanese tour where he finished top-30 in the money list
in 2019. From making up to A$600,000 ($440,000) in good years,
his earnings plummeted due to the lack of playing opportunities.
The father-of-one made do with sponsorship income and "Jobkeeper"
payments before the federal government's wage subsidy programme
wound up in March. Others have not been so fortunate.
Griffin's brother, a golf instructor, has been unable to coach
for months in southern Victoria state, where courses and driving
ranges were closed until recently due to social restrictions.
"You’ve got guys who have basically built their entire lives
around golf that are now just doing odd jobs trying to make ends
meet," said Griffin. "I’ve got mates from the Japan tour who are
working as labourers. We’re really just trying to get by until
we can get our careers back." There is light at the end of the
tunnel.
The Australian government is set to relax border and quarantine
controls when 80% of the adult population is fully vaccinated,
likely by November.
The Asian Tour, a popular circuit for Australian professionals
unable to qualify for the U.S. and European tours, is set to
resume in late-November after being shut down since March 2020.
The PGA of Australia, which organises most local events, is
confident of a full schedule in 2022/23 and reckons the
country's established stars like Adam Scott and Jason Day will
come home to give the domestic game a boost.
UNCERTAIN TIMES
As in other parts of the world, the pandemic has been a boost
for golf participation in Australia, where courses remain packed
even after bans on contact sports and socialising indoors have
been lifted.
Officials hope some of the new weekend hackers remain long-term
fans who can support more professional events in coming years to
help the tour recover.
"I don’t think we’ll ever make up for what’s been lost the last
18 months to two years," Australian PGA Tournaments Director
Nick Dastey told Reuters. "But we are as confident as we can be
in these uncertain times."
Griffin, locked-down in Melbourne since early-August, is bruised
but far from broken as he targets a A$137,500 ($101,000) event
near the city in December.
"There’s always the dream. You might have had a bad six-12
months but there’s always the guy that comes out and wins a big
tournament. That plays in the back of people’s minds."
($1 = 1.3611 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Ian Ransom in
Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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