Former Proteas all-rounder Chris Morris talk to GRANT SHUB about once caddying for Brandon Stone, his prized albatross and the 2025 Ryder Cup.
Morris, who played across all formats for the Proteas over a 12-year career, was introduced to golf by his father, Willie, at the age of eight. The pair played a mashie course in Centurion but young Christopher wasn’t instantly taken with the game.
When a prepubescent Morris took up golf for the first time, he recalls that his father played with clubs that still had wooden heads. The fact his father was left-handed and he played right-handed also didn’t help as he says that he couldn’t grab his dad’s clubs and ‘go jol’.
Fast forward to when Morris was fresh out of high school and his uncle Steve gifted him his first set of Cobra clubs which reignited his interest in the game. He also took a liking to American Rickie Fowler, who introduced a colourful aesthetic to golf.
‘The beauty with golf, much like cricket, is that no two days are the same,’ Morris tells Compleat Golfer from his home in Pretoria. ‘I’m still working on my consistency and a lot of aspects play a role. I’m better when I play socially with my mates than when I take part in a golf day and I always tell people: I don’t play golf to get better but to enjoy it.’
Two years ago, Morris was a 4.8 handicap and now he is a 4.5. He says that he’s struggling to get under that index because one day he’ll shoot 77 and the next day 82 or 83. Since retiring as a professional cricketer, he tries to tee off a minimum of twice a week and enjoys the challenge of golf. And aside from commentary work for the likes of SuperSport, the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Major League Cricket in America, he has more time on his hands with his sons, Liam and James, at school during the day.
An albatross is an achievement he has over his cousin Jordan Morris, who is a scratch golfer. Chris was playing at Potchefstroom Country Club in 2009 when he achieved the feat. He hit a driver and then smashed a 3-iron and got the ball into the hole. He holds his albatross in high esteem but Jordan, who is a very good golfer and got his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 12, still hams it over his cousin.
Chris has come close to earning that elusive hole-in-one a few times and recalls a humorous moment when he was playing with Proteas cricketer Heinrich Klaasen at Waterkloof Golf Club. Morris collapsed on the tee box when his ball landed which left Klaasen in complete stitches.
‘It landed, bounced over the hole, spun backwards and then lipped out,’ Morris says, relating the tale. ‘Klaasie was laughing at me for collapsing on the course but I thought it was my moment … If my wife gets a call and I’m on the greens, she knows the drill. I’ll go, “Babe, it’s happened! I love you, I’ll see you when I see you – I’m going to Vegas!”’
When appraising his wife’s golf game, Morris notes that Lisa is not a natural ball striker but one thing she can do is putt. He says Lisa, who was an accomplished 800m runner, sees the line and hits it. In contrast, he thinks too much about the pace, undulation and what side it’s coming from, which is to his own detriment.
Morris, who is close friends with professional golfer Brandon Stone, believes the 31-year-old, who was ranked as high as 67th in the world in 2017, is not far from glory.
‘Brandon is in a very good place mentally and has figured out a process that works for him,’ says Morris, who carried Stone’s bag at the Alfred Dunhill two years ago.
‘He got a taste of it when he won the SA Open in 2016 and Scottish Open in 2018. And when you’ve had a taste, you’re hungry for more. Big things are around the corner for him because he’s got the game and has been working on weaknesses behind the scenes.’
As Morris’ cricket career took flight, golf settled for a backseat as it was the gentleman’s game paying the bills. From humble beginnings in Pretoria, the man nicknamed ‘Money-Bag’ Morris, had his life changed forever when he was snapped up for eye-watering figures across various seasons in the IPL. The game-changer came when Morris was bought for $2.24-million by the Rajasthan Royals in the 2021 auction.
Morris, who was a late bloomer and made his first-class debut at the age of 22, says he retired from cricket at the ripe age of 34 with absolutely no regrets and memories made.
‘Most cricketers will say they would have wanted to take more wickets or score more runs but I’m very content,’ says Morris, who is now playing golf with his wife after she has taken up the game again since her second born. ‘Mine was a 12-year career that started off in Potchefstroom for North West and culminated in playing for South Africa.’
Morris says that not ticking the elusive World Cup box was one regret from his national career but he believes the current crop of players are getting closer to ending the jinx.
‘In terms of the most recent T20 World Cup, we had it in the bag and should have won the final against India,’ he says. ‘But the young crop of players coming through are seriously good. They’ve got potential, hunger and fight which is what I like about them.’
The Ryder Cup, which is scheduled from 26-28 September at the Bethpage Black Course in New York, is another tournament that separates the contenders from the pretenders.
On a fence before the 1st tee, a sign reads: ‘Warning. The Black Course is an extremely difficult course which we recommend only for highly skilled golfers.’
If Morris saw that sign, he’d say: ‘Bring it on! I’d take on the shots I’m not supposed to even if it’s 3-irons off the tee box and if there’s a gap over a tree I’m going to try to hit it.’
As far as who he will be cheering for, Morris is unequivocal in terms of his support for Team Europe, who will aim to emulate the Springboks in claiming back-to-back glories.
‘I would absolutely love Europe to win in America, which is difficult with an unrelenting crowd and tough course, so we can get that “U-S-A, U-S-A!” chant out of everyone’s head.’
– This article first appeared in the Summer 2024-25 issue of Compleat Golfer magazine.
