Golf: Victory on pro circuit reward for Scott

By BOB PEARCE

Golfer Gina Scott won $51,000 in Britain this week, but she still expects to take a job back home in the Waikato before her next European campaign.

The 27-year-old returned to her home in Te Awamutu yesterday, thrilled by her win in the Chart Hills Classic. However, she is not swept away by her first professional victory.

"I won more than I'd made in the rest of my time as a professional, but it's not a fortune. After a couple of weeks getting together with friends and family, I'll probably be looking for a job," she said.

"Before I went away I was working fulltime but I'd like to get a part-time job with more time for golf."

Scott has always combined her golf with a strong work ethic. Unlike many of her male counterparts, she had a regular job in a bank for much of her distinguished amateur career.

Scott's victory in her rookie year on the European tour was a surprise to her as much as anyone.

"On Saturday when I teed off for the last round I didn't even dream of winning the tournament.

"I was seven shots back and I thought if I shot under 70 and got in the top 10 I could pick up some money and head home happy."

Instead, she had a seven-under-par 65 and beat Italian Isabella Maconi on the second playoff hole to take the title.

The 65 should not have been such a surprise. In early July, Scott shot two 65s to storm home in fifth place and pick up a $12,000 cheque in France.

The following week she was seventh in the German Open at Hamburg.

These successes came after a series of missed cuts. But Scott does not ascribe her turnaround in form to anything dramatic.

"I think it gets easier the longer you spend. You become more comfortable with everything and your confidence grows.

"When I played well, I played great. But I also played really rank in a couple of tournaments and I'm disappointed not to be more consistent."

Scott's down-to-earth assessment of her success is rooted in her background. She grew up on a Kawhia farm and at the age of 11 joined her parents and older brother playing on the Kawhia course, just over the fence.

She was a Waikato senior representative at 15 and represented New Zealand for six years. She won the national matchplay title and a couple of titles across the Tasman before turning pro in 1997.

She qualified for the European Tour late that year but the 1998 Tour was in disarray and the limited number of tournaments made it uneconomic to compete. Last year she competed in the United States before requalifying for Europe.

One tournament she is really looking forward to is the February event at the Hutt Golf Club being promoted by fellow pro Lynnette Brooky. That will give local fans a chance to see how far she has travelled from those nine holes at Kawhia.