Sitting on the clubhouse verandah at the Fairmont course just south of the Home of Golf, Fraser had just signed for a 71, one-under-par, in the opening round of the Asian Tour’s St. Andrews Bay Championship. That score – “a solid effort” – doubled as a step in the right direction. To that point, 2023 had been a year of almost unremitting on-course struggles for the 45-year-old Melburnian.

Still, that he should have endured eight missed cuts in his previous nine starts (and would fail to make the weekend in Scotland after a second 71 proved to be one-shot too many) wasn’t surprising Fraser. A realistic soul, he knew only too well how immediately difficult the top-level professional game would likely be upon his return from a self-induced three-year long absence. Resurrecting the kind of form that saw him win eight times on five separate tours – most recently at the 2016 Asian Tour/DP World Tour co-sanctioned Maybank Championship in Malaysia – would surely take time and effort.

This then is a love story, a tale of one man’s on-going romance with competition. Second time round, Fraser’s deep affection is so far unrequited. But hopefully, in time, the climax will be eventual consummation of a mutual attraction.

Around four years ago, Fraser arrived at a crossroads. Drained by the long-distance travel that is the inevitable consequence of being born Australian, he called what proved to be a temporary halt to his 17-year professional career.

“I convinced myself that I was done,” says Fraser. “I was pretty cooked. It was the being away from home. Europe is just so far away from Australia, which is a big island in the middle of nowhere really. Plus, I’d done it for nearly two decades. The back and forth after my kids (Archie is now 14 and Lily is 12) started school did get me down. I didn’t have a base in the U.K, so I was worn out. In the end, I checked out – at least mentally.”

Plan B was to have involved playing a little bit in Asia, where Fraser has eligibility through the career money-list, and a few more local events at home. That would be enough to satisfy any competitive urges he might still be feeling. But then Covid hit the world. Plan B became Plan C, then D and so on.

Fraser is back on the road doing what he loves most... playing tournament golf. PHOTO: Getty Images.

“The longer the pandemic went on, the more frustrated I got,” he says. “I knew I couldn’t have gone through the two-week quarantine to get back into the country every time I went to play elsewhere. So, I enrolled in the PGA Bridging Program. Having played on tour I could go through what amounts to a trainee program to give me some golf professional skills to add to my professional golfer skills. It meant I could teach, which I had always wanted to do, especially short game and putting.”

Things were looking good on that front when Fraser began coaching two days a week at the Peninsula Kingswood club where he is a long-time member. All of which was fine. But six months later, the head pro resigned. Covid was still going on and the club had decisions to make. So, grasping the opportunity, Fraser approached them to see if they would let him take over the teaching facility. Again, that was fine with them. So, by late 2021 he had a new job title: Director of coaching.

“At that stage I wasn’t playing or practising at all,” says Fraser. “So, by pure chance I was in the right place at the right time. I was really keen to do it and the club liked the proposal I came up with.”

Ah, but that feeling of contentment wasn’t to last.

“It didn’t take me long to figure out there is a lot more things to coaching than I realised,” Fraser continues. “I was in over my head a little. It’s a big operation. And there was a lot of admin, which is not me. I also felt a bit awkward overseeing people who were more qualified than me as a coach.

RIGHT: PHOTO: Getty Images.

“The biggest thing though, was that I simply missed playing. I played at a high level as an amateur. I played at the highest level in Europe. I played in majors and World Golf Championships and had a good world ranking (51st was his highest). Going cold turkey after all that was hard. Driving home every night I was wondering if I’d done the right thing. Was what I was doing really me?”

There was a lot to think about, not least that his wife, Carlie, had embarked on what is now a successful interior design business.

“Part of my stopping playing was to give her the chance to do something she wanted to do,” says Fraser. “She gave so much time to my career and allowed me to chase my dreams, she deserved the same from me. But she knew I was unsettled.

“We had a talk in October last year. I confirmed that I wasn’t happy even if I’d been given an amazing opportunity at such a great club. I could have been there all the way to retirement. But I want to play senior golf when I turn 50. And to do that I have to be competitive.

PHOTO: Getty Images.

“So we decided the Asian Tour was the place to go. I had to do it when I did. Had I left it any later, I would have dropped out of the top-20 on the career money list and my opportunity would be gone. It was then or never. I have this year and next to figure out if I can still play well enough to make it all work.”

Typically, Fraser did not leave the club he calls home in the lurch. The well-respected and admired Denis McDade, his long-time coach, is at “PK” now.

“It’s a perfect fit,” Fraser says. “Denis has so much experience coaching some of the best players in the world. And he has the respect of the other teachers there. They have an unbelievable junior program now. He was my mentor when I was still there. It has worked out well. I’ve been part of that club for 25 years, so I wanted to get the right person.”

So, it was back to the tour. Fraser had always felt lucky to be doing what he is back doing now. And he wanted that feeling again. Plus, he felt like he could still play. Yes, the body is older and doesn’t move quite as well as it used to. But he missed the adrenaline surge that comes with putting a card in your pocket and trying to shoot a score.

The camaraderie on tour was another thing he had lost. Best mate Wade Ormsby was just one he hardly saw. But the pair talked a lot before Fraser decided to come back.

And yes, progress has been slow. But it has been steady too.

“The game has moved on a lot,” Fraser concedes. “The fields on the Asian Tour are so much deeper. And stronger. Early on I was in Oman and felt like I played okay. I thought I’d make the cut but ended up missing by two or three. That was an eye-opener. I had to change my mindset. Everything is better so I had to be ready for that.

“At the start of the year it felt like I hadn’t played enough golf to compete at this level,” he continues. “I play golf for living; I don’t practice for a living. (Coach) Dale Lynch told me years ago that they don’t hand out any cheques on the range. Be the best golfer you can be.

“But I hadn’t played for nearly three years. And now I’m not that far off. I’m still making the sloppy mistakes you make when your game isn’t fully sharp though, mistakes I would never have made before. I’ve felt like a 15-handicapper out there sometimes.”

Indeed, Fraser noticeably brightens when the subject turns to what still lies ahead. If enthusiasm and work ethic mean anything he is going to be fine in time.

“This is what I’ve wanted to do since I was a teenager,” he says. “If I want to be successful as a senior I’m going to have to play between now and then. And play a lot. But I’m realistic. If I have two years of playing like I did at the start of 2023, I’ll reassess. I feel like I’m still good enough though, And I’m putting in the work. The results will come.

“I’ve always been a good player. I’ve never been a great striker. I’ve never been long off the tee. But I know how to manage my game and myself. And when I do that, I play good golf. Today was more like that.”

As for the immediate future, Fraser will play in the Australian PGA towards the end of this year and, perhaps, the Australian Open. That remains up in the air, however, as it would mean teeing-up five weeks in a row, something he wishes to avoid for obvious reasons.

“I’ll have to have a chat with the hierarchy at home about that one,” he says with a smile. “But I’ll play in the Sandbelt Invitational and the Cathedral Invitational right after the Open. And the Vic Open and the Rosebud event at the start of next year. My problem is that a lot of the smaller events at home clash with Asian Tour events.

RIGHT: PHOTO: Getty Images.

“I’d love to see the Asian Tour be in Australia more,” he continues. “It makes a lot of sense. If you can play well on the Asian Tour, it’s a pathway to bigger things.

“The LIV event in Adelaide showed a lot of people how golf can be done at home. But not many have that budget. LIV is a different world. But the Asia Tour is a sleeping giant. It has so much potential. Week-in, week-out the fields are the same as those I used to be part of in Europe. It’s on that level and a huge jump from where the Asian Tour used to be.”

There is a lot to look forward to. And no remorse. Well, maybe just a little.

“I do regret telling myself I had had enough,” Fraser admits. “But I’ve been lucky. The Saudi money came along for the Asian Tour when I still had an exemption. Everything fell into place for me. But I need to play better. Whatever, I’ll know exactly where I stand by the end of 2024.”