Golf: No smiles for Iles in Asia

Brad Iles' game unravelled on the Asian Tour.

When a shell-shocked Michael Campbell limped away from a horrendous 89 in the first round of The Players Championship three years ago and came up with the memorable "aliens invading my body" line, a nation guffawed behind the backs of their hands.

Notoriously hot and cold that year anyway - including a shock run of nine successive missed cuts on the PGA Tour - blaming an atrocious round on extra- terrestrials was a stretch, even for Campbell.

But, having experienced some of what Campbell must have been going through during a recent five-week sojourn through Asia, Papamoa professional Brad Iles can empathise.

Iles left New Zealand in May full of confidence for his first serious tilt at the lucrative Asian Tour.

A week spent with coach Mal Tongue in Wellington had him in great shape and, besides, he won more than $90,000 within a month of turning professional late last year so what could go wrong?

In a word... well, let's just say it'd be quicker to identify the high points.

Somewhere between Auckland Airport and the US$400,000 Aamby Valley Asian Masters in Mumbai, India, Iles' silky smooth game unravelled in a big way.

"It was unbelievable, very, very strange - something happened on that plane and I could tell as soon as I hit the practise fairway that things weren't right," Iles, a former world schoolboy champion, said.

"I was swinging like a three-hinged door and practically hitting it sideways."

Rounds of 77 and 73 - eight-over par - saw Iles miss the cut in Mumbai "easily" and his mood didn't improve a week later at the US$300,000 Macau Open when he carved the ball to all parts of the course - the fairway excepted - shooting 80 and 73 to again miss the cut, 128th from 150 starters.

For someone who has worked hard for his success, albeit complemented by a decent dollop of natural golfing ability, Iles' meltdown was a crushing blow.

"It was massively frustrating. Here I was, my first concerted tilt in Asia and I was playing like a beginner."

Urgent phone calls to Tongue back in Wellington were followed by dozens of still photos of Iles' swing emailed back to New Zealand in the hope the swing guru could pinpoint the faults.

"Mal knows my swing better than anyone and tried his hardest to spot any flaws but it's bloody difficult with still photos to spot anything major."

Iles slowly improved, making the cut at the Phillipines Open at Manila's Wack Wack Club, rounds of 76, 69, 78 and 73 leaving him tied for 37th and a cheque for US$1340.

A week later at the Bangkok Airways Open in Koh Samui, he finished tied for 29th on 14-over after rounds of 74, 74, 82 and 68, earning US$2835. He was relieved just to make the weekend. "I still wasn't hitting it any good but it was a matter of getting it to the greens and into the hole any way I could."

Iles flew to Wellington when he'd finished in Thailand for some serious remedial work with Tongue. Ironically, finding a fix came as quickly as the onset of Iles' swing sorrows.

"Mal and I wandered down to the practise range and the way I'd been playing I thought we'd be there for a week.

"Mal sat back behind me with a cigar in his mouth, tossed me a couple of balls and as soon as I stepped up to hit them he said, 'stop, I know what's wrong; you're standing too close to the ball'."

"I moved back three inches, hit a couple shots with my pitching wedge and Mal said, 'you're fixed, let's go home'.

Iles doubts his problems are related to the brain injury he suffered when he flipped off the back of a golf cart in the United States two years ago.

" ... I did more damage to my brain in the five weeks I was in Asia than falling off a golf cart ever did. It completely did my head in. It's more likely from the work I'd been doing in the gym before I left."

Iles leaves again in four weeks for another five-week tilt on the Asian tour, needing US$80,000 in earnings to keep his tour card. He is 70th on the Order of Merit with prize money of US$18,000.

The courses and conditions in Mumbai and Koh Samui were the toughest he'd encountered. "In India the rough was thicker than at the US Open - 10 inches thick and lush. Miss the fairway and you've got no choice but to open up a lob wedge and hit out sideways.

"In Koh Samui it was the heat and humidity. We rode in carts but ... it was a mad rush to get off the 18th green and into the airconditioned men's room."

- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES