Sky Sports Cricket presenter Ian Ward reveals his love for golf

In our latest feature, Sky Sports Cricket presenter Ian Ward talks about his golfing experiences, achievements and who would make up his dream fourball.

What is your earliest memory of playing golf?

I remember playing with a couple of mates at Foxhills in Surrey, a course far too good for someone who'd just picked up a club. They had a membership and took me round and while I didn't hit it very far, I loved the game, the walk and being outdoors.

How often do you play, and where do you play most often?

I play as often as I can and usually at the London Golf Club. There are two fantastic courses there; the Heritage, which is a championship course designed by Jack Nicklaus that has held the European Open a couple of times, and the International where the World Matchplay is held. My short game is probably my biggest strength but I am prone to a shank off the tee from time to time.

Which professional golfers do you admire most?

If you believe in reincarnation I want to come back in life and swing the club like Rory McIlroy. Putting-wise, I admire Mark McNulty. I played with him at Sunningdale recently and he was superb. Tiger Woods in his prime was great on the greens and so was Ben Crenshaw, the little of him I saw.

Do you suffer from first-tee nerves, and what is the cricketing equivalent?

I don't suffer from first tee nerves but you can get a shaky hand if you've been out the night before with Sir Ian Botham. The equivalent in the cricket world would be going out to bat to face your first ball. As an opener I just wanted to get bat on ball early.

What is your biggest achievement in golf?

I was going to say shooting level par on the International at London Golf Club but it's probably shooting a couple over at Royal Portrush; a brilliant, amazing course. I think they are changing the course a little ahead of the Open Championship in 2019 but at the moment it is tremendous, a perfect links course and probably my favourite.

Do you set yourself golfing targets?

Only to win – especially when I'm playing Shane Warne as there's usually money riding on it!

What are the best and worst things about golf?

The best thing is competing, hitting the ball and hanging around for four hours with your mates. The worst is playing a terrible round and then coming up the 18 and playing properly. You think: 'Why on earth couldn't I do that for the previous 17?'

And finally, if you could pick your dream playing partners for a fourball, who would they be?

McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Tiger, just to see how the game can be played. The duel between McIlroy and Spieth is going to be fascinating over the next few years. Add in Dustin Johnson, new PGA Champion Jason Day, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson and Sergio Garcia, and there are so many guys young enough to be entertaining us for years.