The double All Black has long held a playing role as an ambassador at the New Zealand Open pro-am tournament.
But at Millbrook today, the man they called "Goldie" will see if his Midas touch extends to a key support role as he operates as a caddie for New Zealand Champions Tour star Steven Alker.
The opportunity came about when the Otago sporting great was chatting to Open chairman and former All Blacks coach John Hart and mentioned he had always wanted to caddie at a tournament.
"I had a couple of pros who had made offers, but Harty said, ‘Oh, I wonder if Steven Alker’s caddie is going to come over’," Wilson told the Otago Daily Times.
"He asked Steven, and Steven said yes, and here we go.
"It’s a completely different perspective for me.
"Steve is awesome. He’ll do all the heavy lifting, because he’s the consummate professional.
"There’s no weight on my shoulders. It’s just making sure I get round the bag and I don’t lose any clubs."
Alker is not just any golfer.
The elder statesman of the Kiwi contingent has flourished on the Champions Tour and is desperately keen to win his home Open.
Wilson is no stranger to pressure environments and, outwardly at least, appears as relaxed on the golf bag as he did in so many big games for the All Blacks and Highlanders.
"Hopefully we can just enjoy it and Steve can play his best golf.
"He’s obviously been trying really hard to win this tournament and he played great in the practice round.
"I’ve played the courses a lot myself. If he’s got a question, great, I’ll give him my opinion. Otherwise I just keep the clubs clean and make sure he doesn’t run out of balls."
The greats often enjoy seeing stars in other sporting codes do their thing, and Wilson relishes watching elite golfers in action.
"Their consistency is the thing. They’re professionals for a reason, and you can see the different levels and layers of professionalism.
"You can see guys who understand their own game, and Steven is clearly one of those guys.
"He hits it differently to a lot of these younger guys, and he’s got the benefit of a long career to fall back on, so hopefully he gets some confidence as the rounds go on and we have a good weekend."
Wilson has no stories from the waves to share with fellow ambassador and surfing great Kelly Slater.
"I’m a land mammal, 100%. But it’s exciting to have him here. He loves his golf and he’s generous with his time."
