Croudis, the promising golfer from the Otago Golf Club and the 2009 New Zealand under-19 champion, was set to leave Dunedin yesterday for the United States where he will take up a four-year golf scholarship at the Iowa State University.
But the storm lashing the country put paid to those plans and he would now not head off until tomorrow.
Croudis (19) was very much looking forward to his four-year stint in the States, and the chance to test his game in one of the most competitive systems in the world.
"I'm just looking forward to all the competition and the competitive nature in it. In our team we have Spaniard and a couple of Australians, so there are people from all over the world. In some ways I'm going from being something of a big fish to a little fish in big pond," Croudis said.
"Most of the guys now who you see winning on the PGA Tour came through the college system so it is a proven breeding ground for talent. And ultimately that is what I want to do."
His plan is to turn professional after he finishes his studies.
Croudis would be one of nine golfers on the college squad, but that does not automatically mean he will be on the playing team.
"There are nine of us but you've got to make the playing team and only five of us go away."
In the first semester, the team heads to states such as Virginia and South Carolina to play while in the second semester, when the weather gets colder, Arizona and Texas are the destinations.
He was not totally walking into the unexpected as he had friends who had been or were involved in the college system and he knew what he was in for.
The day would start at 6am with a gym session, followed by classes in the morning, and golf in the afternoon. The university has its own course, which Croudis had viewed on the internet, and he was looking forward to playing on it.
Night would be the time for study.
Croudis said he was aiming to complete a finance degree.
"You've got to get your degree as it is something to fall back on. You never know what might happen with injuries and that."
He had passed seven commerce papers at the University of Otago last year.
The university of 28,000 students is located in the town of Ames, just out of the much larger city of Des Moines.
Croudis was looking forward to leaving the cold of Dunedin for his new home town, where the temperature is hovering around the 30degC mark. But in winter it can get down to minus 10degC.
The former Otago Boys' High School pupil will keep in touch with coach Alan Rose, and intends to return to Dunedin for short breaks at Christmas and in the middle of next year.
