Zimbabwean Brendon De Jonge chose golf over a career as a Test cricketer Switch hitter: Zimbabwean golfer and former cricketer Brendan De Jonge. It was longevity that swayed Zimbabwean Brendon De Jonge away from cricket towards golf, but the former junior international cricketer admits the golf course can be a lonely place at times. The 34-year-old from Harare, who now lives in the US, is the only African in the field at the Australian Open in Sydney this weekend. But life could have been a lot different had he listened to the Zimbabwe national cricket selectors as a teenager making a name for himself on the pitch. "I played schoolboy and national level all the way up until I was 19," De Jonge said. I played all through high school then gave it up after that. I was told by a few national selectors that if I continued on the path that I was on I would have a very good chance at playing Test cricket. I did, I thought about it long and hard. I obviously had to make a choice. The more longevity in golf was probably the main factor ... I gave cricket a serious thought. You have got to choose one or the other and I ended up choosing golf. It is a choice that has served him well, ranked No.82 in the world coming into this week's Open at the Australian Golf Club. But De Jonge, who finished tied for 28th at this year's US Open, admitted there are times he regrets his decision to choose golf over cricket. "I think the only regret I have is missing out on the team sport aspect of it," De Jonge said. Golf is very individual. That's the biggest thing for me being out on a golf course. I definitely miss the camaraderie that you get from a team sport. Having grown up playing against the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Justin Kemp and Morne van Wyk, De Jonge knows all about what it takes to make it to the top of international cricket. De Jonge, who occasionally plays in a minor league cricket competition back in the States, said he watched the South African one-day series in Australia over the past fortnight with great interest during his stay down under. Having experienced a number of hits to the helmet during his time in the middle, De Jonge struggled to comprehend the tragic death of Australian batsman Phillip Hughes. "That's awful, that's tragic, especially coming from someone who has played a lot of cricket," De Jonge said. I understand what a freak accident that is. That's difficult. That's such a small spot to be hit for it to become fatal. I've been hit in the helmet a couple of times and it's scary when you see something like that happen because you know that could have been you. I've seen guys go down and retire hurt but not anything like that.