Off the tee: Bid for tour card into final round

The next six weeks will be vital for three New Zealand professionals trying to secure a place on the lucrative United States PGA tour for next season.

Steve Alker, playing his first season on the tour after qualifying through the second-level Nationwide (formerly Buy. Com) series, has earned a respectable US$221,871 ($371,000) in 25 tournaments.

But this leaves him in 160th place on the money list. Only the top 125 are guaranteed cards for next year. The man in 125th place, Spike McRoy, has earned US$431,553 in an incredible 30 tournaments.

Grant Waite lost his card last year and has played 16 tournaments on sponsors' exemptions for earnings of US$150,999.

Craig Perks has earned US$360,083 from 23 appearances for 141st place on the money list and the injured Phil Tataurangi is one place worse with US$354,083 from just 11.

Both have exemptions earned from tournament wins that extend their tour membership for next season. Tataurangi would, in any case, be entitled to extra starts because of his injuries.

Should Waite and Alker finish worse than 125th after the remaining six regular-season events but higher than 150th, they have standby status to make up unfilled fields next year. They could also rely on some sponsors' invitations.

But the reality for most players is the nerve-racking tour school from which 30 players and ties emerge after 108 holes in early December with their 2004 cards.

The qualification is in three stages starting on October 21. But the tour pros join only for the finale, where hundreds of hopefuls will have been whittled down to a field of 170.

Michael Long earned his PGA card in 2001 by finishing high enough on the Buy. Com tour money list. He lost his status last year and has been campaigning again on the Nationwide tour for one of the top-20 places, which will regain him the card.

After a tournament win in May at Virginia Beach, he seemed to be cruising, but with five events to go he is 26th with US$126,641. Twentieth on the list is Thiaart van der Walt with US$148,080.

Late-season comebacks do happen. This week on the PGA tour Jesper Parnevik finished fifth to jump from 145th to 117th on the money list. Robert Damron was seventh and improved from 128th to 108th.

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Auckland women's golf selectors have opted to name Pakuranga's Jessica Park as their No 1 for the interprovincial tournament in Invercargill ahead of New Zealand representative Enu Chung.

Both are 15-year-olds but Chung, who was selected this month to play in the Commonwealth tournament at Remuera in November, has residency while Park is not eligible for national representation.

Kaye Carroll, convener of the Auckland selectors, says the decision has been made on form. Park is very long and straight off the tee and has an impressive record in matchplay.

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Waikato golf clubs have been briefed this week on the progress of amalgamation discussions between Women's Golf Waikato-King Country and the Waikato Golf Association.

The next stage in the process will be for further discussions at the annual meetings of both organisations.

Those meetings will be asked to agree in principle to the amalgamation proceeding with a view to confirmation at the annual meetings next year.

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A field of 144 will contest the national under-19 boys' strokeplay championship at Wellington Golf Club over three days from today.

More than 70 of the young players are on handicaps of two or lower and 28 were on the waiting list for the 54-hole event.

Among the favourites are the Rotorua pair of Jae An and Terry Hong, North Island under-19 champion Riki Kauika, now living in Wellington, James Gill from the Waikato and Aucklander Kevin Chun.