They call golf a good walk spoiled, but Tracey Roxburgh made the most of a stroll at The Hills yesterday. She made a new friend.
It's 12.30pm and I have taken shelter behind a large pine tree on Sir Michael Hill's golf course.
I'm unsuccessfully trying to avoid the howling southerly and driving rain, wondering why my waterproof jacket has left my back soaking wet and questioning whether jandals was the best choice of footwear for the day.
I have been on the course exactly 30 minutes and as I catch a glimpse of the fresh snow on the Remarkables, I conclude I've had quite enough.
As I turn to make my way back to the media bunker, I spare a thought for Jessica Mediate.
The new wife of American professional Rocco Mediate is toughing it out - she is not a tour wife who sits in the warmth of a clubhouse passing time until her husband finishes a round.
She firmly believes if he's on the course - no matter the conditions - she should be there, too.
Within a couple of hours, however, the polar blast has got the better of her - the first time she has ever had to leave a course during a round.
''I've done humidity, rain, frost delays . . . this is literally the first round I've ever bowed out of.
''I looked at him and said, 'I can't believe I'm going to have to bow out'.
''It's hard for me. It's such a team sport for he and I. Whatever he's experiencing, I should be experiencing.''
Jessica Mediate, who works in sales in Phoenix, Arizona, married the popular golfer on January 20 in Hawaii. The next day, the couple flew to San Diego for a tournament.
Since then, Jessica had been ''home'' for a total of seven days - joined by her husband, a professional golfer of almost 30 years, for just two of them.
While the nomadic lifestyle was normal for Rocco Mediate, a six-time PGA Tour winner, it had taken some getting used to for his wife, who knew ''nothing'' about golf when they met five years ago.
''I'm a homebody. Some days are easier than others, but we're happy together, so that's the best part.
''I was so intrigued by this whole lifestyle. It's 365 days a year, there are no seasons - they can literally be on the road for months at a time.''
The couple met through mutual friends five years ago and got to know each other as friends before their romance blossomed three years ago.
''He is an absolute lunatic in a really good way. He's Italian, he's passionate . . . he loves me, and he and I are great friends.''
However, Rocco Mediate has not yet been able to teach his wife the fine art of golf.
''I tried. I call myself a professional golf watcher. When you can't even make contact with the ball, it's frustrating. He wants me to be a pro when I just want to hit the ball.
''That's our goal this year, to go out and find how to have fun with it.''
