Australia’s newest golf professional Ryan McCarthy would love nothing more than to play a game of rugby or catch a few waves.

But after being battered and bruised in both disciplines, McCarthy is happy to give those hobbies a miss in order to enhance his chances of carving out a promising golf career.

McCarthy was forced to undergo a shoulder reconstruction when he was 16 after injuring the joint while playing rugby.

Then in February last year, McCarthy’s golf career was put on hold after he dislocated his left shoulder while body-surfing.

McCarthy was Australia’s No.1 ranked amateur at the time of that mishap, and was left a frustrated figure over the next 12 months as he battled to recapture his best form.

The 23-year-old Tasmanian will make the transition from amateur to professional ranks on Thursday when he lines up at the $110,000 WA Goldfields PGA Championship in Kalgoorlie.

And while the WA coast boasts some cranking waves, McCarthy is content to stay away after his ocean nightmare.

“I got absolutely dumped by a wave,” McCarthy recalled.

“When I came up, my shoulder just fell out of its socket.

“I was in about eight foot of water, and with my shoulder out of its socket, it wasn’t fun getting back to the shore.

“A few of the boys grabbed me by the back of the hair and just slowly brought me in and out of the waves.

“I was out for three months from playing golf, and then it probably took another eight or nine months before I played well again after I came back.

“It was frustrating. At the time, I was No.1 in the country in amateur ranks, and I think I dropped all the way down to 17.

“It was a really hard time. It felt like I was putting in a lot of work and not getting much out of it.

“But I got back on track, and I’m probably playing better than ever now.”

Matt Stieger, who was part of the Australian team which finished 15th at the recent World Amateur Team Championships in Turkey, will join McCarthy in making his professional debut in the Kalgoorlie event, which is part of the PGA Tour of Australasia schedule and counts towards world ranking points.

Stephen Leaney, Kim Felton, Scott Arnold and Peter O’Malley will also play at the tournament, which is a curtain raiser to next week’s $2 million Perth International at Lake Karrinyup.