Matthew Guyatt has been both teacher and pupil this week and he hopes to be head of the class tomorrow night.
The New Zealand Open has given the Queenslander an opportunity to both pass on some tips to a legend and pick up some knowledge from a new friend.
Guyatt carded a 1-under-par 71 at Millbrook yesterday to go with a first-round 65 from The Hills, and his is one of a dozen Australian names that could feature on the leaderboard this weekend.
He has also had an interesting couple of days in the pro-am, where he is partnered with a star from another sport.
No, Guyatt (39) has not been lucky enough to be paired with a cricket great like Shane Warne or Sir Ian Botham. His partner is a Japanese baseballer.
Naoyuki Shimizu played in his country's professional ranks for 12 seasons, helped Japan win gold at the World Baseball Classic in 2006, and came to New Zealand for a coaching stint last year.
''He was a pitcher for a lot of years, not a batter,'' Guyatt said yesterday.
''I think batting may have helped his golf a little more. He certainly has the strength and ability to hit it a long way when he gets it all matching up.
''He did that a few times on the front nine, actually, and saved me a couple of times when I hit a couple of poor shots. He managed to rally and make some pars for us, which was nice.''
Guyatt is a sports fan but said he had never really got into baseball.
However, he was excited to hear Shimizu had played at the Olympic Games.
''I asked if they had won the gold medal and he said, no, they had won the bronze.
''He said, 'Australia came second. Silver medal. I pitched against Australia. They hit me all over the park and my coach took me straight off the field.' I was like, 'Yes, come on Aussies.'
''He's a lovely guy, really gentle. I've had a great couple of days playing with him.''
Guyatt has spent time on the Japan Tour and picked up a couple of words to communicate with Shimizu in his native language.
The Australian partnered a countryman, Wallabies great Nick Farr-Jones, last year.
Earlier this week, he was unexpectedly given an opportunity to pass on some tips on his own sport to a famous name.
Guyatt had begun a practice round when the pairing in front suggested forming a foursome.
The opportunity to rub shoulders with Botham and Sir Vivian Richards was too good to pass up.
