By Doug Milne
DICK’s Open Media Director
For professional golfers over the age of 49 who remain serious about their careers, establishing a presence on PGA TOUR Champions is a celebrated part of the journey.
For Craig Hocknull, who earned a berth into this week’s DICK’s Open by way of a playoff win in open qualifying earlier this week, the opportunity to be in this week’s field certainly offers a promising glimpse into how far he can go with his game. More importantly to him, though, is that the accomplishment provides encouraging insight into who he is as a person and how far that person has already come.
Born January 14, 1975 in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, at just two years old, Hocknull’s family moved to Australia.
“It was at the age of about six or seven that my dad, John, got me more excited about golf. And, that resulted in me having my own set of cut-down clubs” Craig said. “My grandmother, who was Scottish, kept telling my dad because of my Scottish heritage, I needed golf clubs in my hand. So, beginning at the age of about two, I was swinging something around all the time.”
Little did he know how far that would take him.
“My dad was not a golfer, but he did read Jack Nicklaus’ book, ‘Golf My Way’,” Hocknull said. “As he read the book, he learned things about grip and stance and was then teach that to me.”
Eventually, John started taking his son to hit balls in Darwin on the Aussie rules football field.
Craig spent a big part of his formative years at a boarding school, which happened to be the same school from which PGA TOUR players Adam Scott and Jason Day emerged.
When higher education came calling, Hocknull opted to come stateside to Jackson State University in Mississippi on scholarship. There, he was teammates with current Champions Tour standout, Tim O’Neal.
While his deft touch on the course was fast becoming the stuff dreams are made of, as his heart and mind continued to take shape, the dreams Craig became focused on helping fulfill came to include those facing uphill battles.
When he was young, Craig recalls an aunt in England who ran a home for kids with special needs.
“I always kept a special place in my heart for that, which resulted in my college degree being Recreational Therapy,” he said. “I learned a lot about working with different kids and the different disabilities. I wanted to be able to provide them with recreation. So, when it came to golf, I combined my knowledge of the game with my degree and club/equipment fitting. I was able to build clubs that catered to their abilities.”
As time went on, Hocknull got more involved with adaptive physical education and classes for individuals needing physical modifications.
From Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York, where he and his family now live, Hocknull continues to help those in need, regardless of age or condition.
“In most cases, helping people get access to equipment that works for them is an easy fix on my part,” Craig said. “For me, it’s everything just to see peoples’ eyes light up. I didn’t want anyone to not have the ability to hear the sound and see the flight of a well-struck ball. In my mind, there’s no problem that can’t be fixed easily to make golf available for all to play.”
At a course Craig once taught players of all ages and abilities, he recalled an encouraging shoutout from one of the club’s assistant pros: “There goes Craig. Changing lives one swing at a time.”
On another occasion, following a session with an individual facing physical limitations and using clubs Craig had custom made, Craig learned that individual later exclaimed in the clubhouse, ‘That guy just changed my life. I’m not going to give up. I can now play golf’.”
While honing his own game and those of people facing uphill battles, Craig also happened upon another avenue within the game….of trick shots.
As a young professional circa 2000, he was playing a lot of mini-tour events in Southern California. At one of them, he happened upon a trick-shot artist’s show.
“I stood in the background of the show he was putting on for pro-am entrants,” Craig recalled. “As I stood there and watched, I noticed that all the amateurs’ minds were blown. Mine was not. I knew I could do the tricks he was doing.”
Inspired by an idea, after the artist’s show, Craig tracked the individual down with a handful of questions.
“He went through everything he did at the shows and told me he was making upwards of $10,000 per show,” he said. “I went home and made a deal with my wife. Because I was playing mini tours, I wasn’t going to just throw entry fees, travel costs, etc. on the credit card. I told her I needed to start trick-shot shows of my own and make $5,000 per outing to pay for my tournament costs.”
Not only did Craig see the idea through to fruition, but out of it came the “Outback Golf Show.” Being from Australia, he catered to the crowds, complete with a thick Aussie accent (which, by the way, is non-existent when speaking naturally).
“I did trick shots, shared stories of growing up in Australia, told jokes…all of it,” he said. “The crowds loved it. It was fun. I performed in front of crowds as big as 500. I worked in glowing balls, cannons, all that stuff.”
He still holds shows for special outings. But, these days, he’s placing more focus on his game.
Most recently, that focus resulted in a drive from Rye to Binghamton late last week in an effort to earn a spot into this week’s DICK’s Open field. After advancing through the pre-qualifier Friday, via playoff, Crocodile Hocknull found himself in Monday’s open qualifying event in his bid for one of three final spots into the En-Joie field.
Following a disruptive 3-hour weather delay during Monday’s round, Craig birdied his first hole back out, No. 12. He then followed with pars on Nos. 13-17 and a birdie at the final hole to finish in 4-under par and become part of a 3-way playoff for two spots. On the second extra hole, Craig claimed one of those two spots, good for a berth into his second-ever Champions Tour event (2026 Senior PGA Championship/MC).
“It’s really cool for me to be here at the DICK’s Open this week,” Craig said. “I played my last PGA TOUR event in 2023, when I was 48, at the Shriners, playing alongside guys that are putting it out there 350 yards off the tee. It was good in that it kept my game sharp.”
Out here this week at En-Joie, though, adds the element of comfort to his journey….sort of.
“Now, I’m here and able to compete against the guys I know I can hit it as far as, if not further,” Hocknull said. “But, it’s still nerve-racking and difficult for me to feel comfortable. Once inside the ropes, though, I know my game is really good.”
The real cause for celebration, though, isn’t so much about what he can do inside the ropes as who he is outside them.
“I just hope to be me. I’m very comfortable with who I am now,” he said. “So, however the week plays out, it’ll be a great week. I’m here with my son on the bag. Whether we’re at the top or bottom of the leaderboard, I’m just going to do me and see how that plays out.”
Gregor, Craig’s newly minted 20-year-old son, is toting dad’s bag this week for the first time at a TOUR-sanctioned event.
“This is so cool, I’m pumped,” said Gregor. “I work at a golf course, so I’m always around golf, but nothing compares to actually being at this tournament and walking the course with my dad.”
With 54 holes awaiting Friday through Sunday, Gregor and Craig certainly have a lot of ground to cover. But, by doing it together, it’s certain to go down as a walk in the park which neither would trade for anything.
“My dad is my biggest role model,” Gregor said. “He taught me that there is always a kindness option and I’m reminded of that every day just by seeing how he carries himself. When my friends join me for a round of golf with him, they always look at him, amazed. There’s just something about the way he composes himself and plays the game, but there’s also something about him that makes a person feel included and special. I don’t even care what I shoot. It’s far more wonderful for me just to be playing with him.”
Craig is presently writing a book, called ‘Resilience’. As opposed to instruction on how succeed on a golf course, the book covers his life’s journey. If the stories are ingested in the manner Craig hopes for, odds are good, readers will come away not only as stronger players, but more confident and complete individuals.
“All I can hope to be remembered for is as a guy who inspired the people he crossed paths with,” said Hocknull. “I hope to inspire my kids, who are doing very different things: acting and performance for one and professional golf for the other. By getting into an event like the DICK’s Open, my hope is to inspire at least one person to work a little more, try little harder and just not give up. You cannot give up on the things you really want to do. Use me as an example. I’m not giving up on my dreams of competing and playing out here on the Champions Tour. And, and look at me know….I’m about to tee it up in the DICK’s Open.”
Craig Hocknull, with Gregor at his side, begins round one of the DICK’s Open Friday at 11:01 a.m.
