Golf: Tataurangi crashes out of US

By GRAHAM SKELLERN

Philip Tataurangi's professional golf career is in disarray after he crashed out of the United States PGA Tour's final qualifying tournament in Miami, Florida, at the weekend.

Tataurangi, the talented New Zealand golfer who became the world's No 1-ranked amateur and then established himself on the tough US Tour, failed to tee up in yesterday's fourth round of the Q-School.

After the third day's play at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa he was at the rear of the 169-strong field with rounds of 78, 71, 81 - a staggering 20 over par.

A disappointed Tataurangi forfeited his place in the field - and then wondered where he would be playing his golf in the new millennium.

He no longer has full playing status on the US Tour or the secondary Buy.Com (formerly Nike) Tour, and he has no attachment to the other lucrative tours in Europe or Japan.

If he wants to continue to eke out a living in the United States he will have to attempt the risky business of turning up on Mondays for qualifying to fill the last spots in the Buy.Com tournaments, which have smaller prizemoney.

Tataurangi could also play the lessheralded Canadian Tour, and he will be considering his options while contesting the remaining tournaments on the Australasian PGA Tour this summer.

Two other Kiwis - Craig Perks and Grant Waite - were still setting their sights on playing the multi-million-dollar US Tour next year. But luck had also deserted Michael Long, the fourth New Zealander contesting the shootout at Doral Long, with 69, 72, 74, 66, was one over for the tournament and tied for 90th place - well outside the cut for the final pressure-filled two rounds.

Waite and Perks, who were both born in Palmerston North and were team-mates, on golfing scholarships, at Oklahoma University, were safely inside the cut - and on course to collect their playing cards for next year.

They need to finish tomorrow morning in the top 35 including ties. The 32-year-old Perks, who has played the Nike Tour for the past four years and finished runner-up twice, began today's fifth round in 18th-equal place.

Perks, who was a national under-12 and under-14 table tennis champion before leaving New Zealand at the age of 18, lives in Lafayette, Louisiana, and earned $US54,703 in 28 Nike events this year.

He jumped on to the leaderboard with a superb 5-under 65 yesterday - and at 7-under for the gruelling six-round qualifying tournament he was just five shots behind the leaders, Americans Robin Freeman and Michael Clark.

Waite, a past winner on the US Tour, also made ground yesterday with a 3-under 67 to match his fine opening round - and at 4-under for the tournament he was tied for 40th and only a shot behind the golfers making up the top 35 and ties.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic in sunny Spain, Blenheim's Elliott Boult was also making a splendid move to secure his card for next year's European Tour.

Boult, aiming to join Greg Turner and Michael Campbell on the big tour by finishing the final qualifying tournament in the top 35, yesterday fired a brilliant 7-under 65 in the fourth round, after earlier shooting 80, 69, 74.

Even with the card, Boult moved into a tie for 27th - 10 shots behind leader Scot Alastair Forsyth - with two rounds to play. He was joined on 288 by the experienced Australian Peter Fowler, who now lives in Auckland and is aiming to resurrect his career as a touring professional.