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More than seven years after his one and only Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia victory – in Port Moresby in May, 2017 – he has logged his second win after at least two years of struggle with a back fracture that was not originally diagnosed.
The 32-year-old who plays out of Sanctuary Cove holed a right-to-left 12-foot birdie putt at the 72nd hole which turned out to have secured the victory at 14-under par.
But before he knew that the championship was his, he had to hit the driving range to keep warm while American Tyler McCumber came down the par-5 18th on the Open course.
McCumber was at 13-under and needed birdie for a playoff. The Floridean missed the green left with his long iron second shot, chipped up to just more than two feet, and had that putt for four to extend the contest.
But inexplicably, the man who has played 60 times on the US PGA Tour and who had looked the winner for much of the day, missed the putt and could only make a par.
Out on the range 100 metres away, the news passed through to Crawford, who had played superbly shooting a final-round 68 with seven birdies.
He was presented with the Jack Harris Cup by Marilyn Harris, the daughter of the late tour star and six-time winner of this event.
“A lot’s gone on. It’s been pretty difficult at times. To be in this is pretty special,” he said afterward.
Injuries have prevented him from playing much golf at all in the past few years since he injured his back in the gym. The injury turned out to be a fracture of the T10 vertebrae but the diagnosis came later, after he had attempted to play through the pain.
“It’s still a management process,” he said. “I’m still at the stage where if I move the wrong way it can come back again. But every day that doesn’t happen I’m getting further and further away from going back to where I was.”
“I’ve worked really hard with (coach) Terry Price on trying to improve the ballstriking. It feels really good to hit some good shots under the pump,” he said.
He also paid tribute to caddie for the weekend Blake Proverbs, his fellow tour pro, especially for guidance over the putt on 18. Crawford had his read of a little right-to-left, but called Basic over to confirm it.
“Under pressure sometimes it can get a little hazy, but he was awesome. To have that bit of reassurance was awesome, and we hit a great putt.”
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