GOLF - Clarke sets his sights on PGA tour

This time last year Dale Clarke was contemplating playing interprovincial golf for Northland.
Now he's back from his Australian base looking for backers to help kickstart a professional career.
On the face of it, the former Sherwood Park golfer returned from Melbourne to attend the nuptials of his girlfriend's brother in Waikato on Saturday. But before that he took the opportunity to contact a few Whangarei businesses to try to drum up some sponsorship for what he hopes will be the year he earns his stripes as a professional.
Ten days ago, Clarke made it through the second qualifying competition of the Australasian PGA Tour and will line up among 100 other aspiring golfers at the Peninsula Country Golf Club on December 16, to chase five full tour cards and 25 limited tour cards.
The 23-year-old has his sights set firmly on playing on the PGA tour. "I know it's going to be tough. There are lot of good golfers who are going to be there but there's no sense in talking about Plan B yet - at the moment it's Plan A or Plan A. Those are the options," he said.
Clarke is optimistic about his chances in a field that will include up to a dozen Kiwis. "I've got a slight advantage over the guys travelling over for the contest. The courses are very different from what you have here. They're hard pan, and because the ground's so hard you have to nip it off the top with a wedge or face some funny results," he said.
He also plans to play the Peninsula course at least half a dozen times before the final qualifying event and get some tips from one of the professionals there.
Since moving to Melbourne in August, Clarke has focused on his golf. He works at the Melbourne Golf Academy, a driving range attached to the Capital Golf Club - a course so exclusive that even after working there for three months, Clarke has yet to play it.
After work and often before work too, you will find him working on his short game at the academy's putting greens and chipping greens. "My long game is probably about as good as most of the players on tour. It's just they're a lot sharper around the greens and they hole maybe four or five putts a round more than I do and that's probably the difference between them and me at the moment," he said.
Clarke is aware the biggest obstacle to becoming a successful professional is himself. "It's all mental really. It's about breaking through a barrier that you put in front of yourself. It's hard to admit it but it's such a mental game - that's why Tiger Woods is so good, because he's so mentally strong."
The other major obstruction he wants to break down is being limited in his practice time and that's one of the main reasons he wants to raise up to $40,000 - the amount he thinks will allow him to compete on the PGA circuit next year. The plan is to pay the money back over time, with interest as a percentage of his winnings, once he's making a decent living.
"I don't need that much to get by, but I want to concentrate more on my game. It's kind of hard when you are working to improve a lot. It means you have to practise every spare moment you have, but even then it never seems to be enough," Clarke said.
With an understanding girlfriend Alecia, who's willing to help support him, the sponsorship dollars will be used on tournament expenses - on entry fees, accommodation and travel.
"It's not perhaps the best time to be looking for sponsorship in today's [financial] climate but then again maybe it is - at least I think it's a good investment and that's the way I've got to think about it."
The son of Sherwood Park professional Derek, Clarke certainly has the pedigree to succeed. He has played the game since he was six years old. After excelling at the youth level, winning the New Zealand (U18) Eagles title at the age of 15, he became the Northland No1 as a 17-year-old in 2003.