Golf: Four NZ golfers on US circuit

New Zealand will have four golfers on the United States PGA Tour in 2001 - even though only three have qualified through their playing deeds.

Craig Perks and Frank Nobilo secured their cards for next year at the Tour qualifying school, which finished in California yesterday.

They will join Grant Waite, who enjoyed an outstanding year on the Tour to finish 38th on the Order of Merit.

In addition, Philip Tataurangi, who withdrew during the final round of qualifying, will be on the Tour, courtesy of a medical exemption. He was troubled by a neck injury last year which restricted his ability to play the full Tour.

However, he will find it difficult to get a start in the more popular events on the circuit because his ranking will be too low to force his way into the field.

Palmerston North professional Perks, who was in outstanding form in the gruelling, six-round qualifying school, finished tied for eighth after a final-round, one-under 71. It was his sixth sub-par round in a 23-under total of 409.

Nobilo shot a 70 to finish 18th at 19-under 413.

The top 35 qualified.

Tataurangi improved from 90th to 59th in the penultimate round, but dropped four shots over the first six holes yesterday and withdrew.



Michael Long ended with a total of 426 and a share of 103rd in the field of 168.

Meanwhile, New Zealand Open director Philip Aickin was confident that Perks and Nobilo would turn up for January's tournament at the Grange, in Auckland.

Aickin said Perks, runner-up this year, was keen to come, and Nobilo may also attend.

Reigning champion Michael Campbell, Greg Turner and Sir Bob Charles will be in the field.

Sydney, Dec 5 - New Zealand golfer Michael Long will dash from Palm Springs, California, to the less glamorous Kooyonga, Adelaide, after missing out on qualifying for the United States PGA Tour today.

Long finished 103rd in the cut-throat, six-round qualifying school when he needed to finish among the top 35 and ties to gain an exemption for the 2001 tour.

He will return to the Australasian PGA Tour and get a limited look at the Kooyonga Golf Club before teeing off in the first round of the $A600,000 ($NZ783,290) Ford Open on Thursday.

Long was well placed at the qualifying school after four rounds but, like last year, drifted backwards in the final rounds to finish six-under-par.

New Zealanders Craig Perks, who was eighth equal on 23-under, and Frank Nobilo, 18th equal on 19-under, both qualified for the world's richest tour next year while Phil Tataurangi missed out. Tataurangi was listed to play in Adelaide this week but has withdrawn.

Long had a solid debut on the Buy.com secondary tour in the US this year after recovering from a neck injury sustained while swimming at a Perth beach last Christmas.

Consistent finishes in recent years has him 23rd on the Australasian all-time money list and it has always been a stated goal to break into the top 20. He would achieve that with a top-three finish this week.

The 13 other New Zealanders competing at Adelaide are headed by Canadian Tour winner Steve Alker, a consistent performer at the Australian Open and Australian PGA tournaments over the last fortnight.

His compatriots are Matthew Lane, Stephen Scahill, Marcus Wheelhouse, Carl Brooking, Richard Lee, Mark Brown, Saali Herewini, Grant Moorhead, Mahal Pearce, Elliot Boult, Martin Pettigrew and leading amateur Gareth Paddison.

- NZPA