Crunch time as Aussies fight for tour cards
IN: News | by Grant Dodd | 23 Oct 2007
It was the best of times, the worst of times, wrote Charles Dickens.
His ageless assessment of the human condition might well be applied to the atmosphere surrounding the final weeks of the schedule on the PGA Tour’s of the world. At this time every year, polarised emotional states are often only a putt or a missed cut removed from each other.
It is a time where triumph meets despair, where joy clashes with sadness, where failure and success are often separated by the finest of lines. Here, Dickens’ paradox finds a modern definition; only in professional golf is it possible to prosper beyond your dreams and still lose your job at the end of the year.
In the days before the internet (sadly, I can remember them) it was common to see a regular gathering around the Tour office noticeboard late in the season, trying to digest the various permutations of the newly updated money list. Those with the most intent expressions were clearly the ones at or around the magic number that defined the cut-off for exempt status.
Such calculations are now generally done in front of a computer, in the privacy of a hotel room. However, the numbers on the screen or page still resonate the same blistering honesty about the present, and potentially the future.
At this moment for many Australian professionals plying their trade around the world, the picture is looking decidedly grim. Some heroism in coming weeks will not go astray.
On the US Tour, the magic number of exempt players is 125. Incredibly, in 2007 it looks as though something close to US$750,000 will be needed in order to keep ones playing rights.
With only two regular field events left to play before the “silly season” starts, there are a lot of Aussies with work to do.
Despite winning US$568,000 so far this year, former Australian Open champion Steve Allan still needs to win the best part of US$200,000 in order to keep his card on the US Tour. This equates to two solid top tens or one top three finish in the next two weeks.
The same can be said for Gavin Coles, who currently sits with $511,000 US in his ledger. The Bathurst brawler has made huge strides in recent years; few would have dared predict that he would rise to such heights approaching his 40th birthday but determination and self belief are qualities that can take you a long way in this game. He has more than his fair share of both and has blossomed in an intimidating environment where others blessed with more talent have withered and disappeared.
For Andrew Buckle ($US479,000), Jarrod Lyle (US$375,000) and Paul Gow (US$211,000), the task is an even more arduous one. In most cases nothing short of a win or outright second place will save them from the ignominious trip back to qualifying school.
In Europe, the Australian influence has abated significantly over the last few years as most of the marquee Australian names departed for the greener pastures of the US. Names like Senden, Leaney, Lonard, O’Hern, Ogilvy, Allan and Allenby were once fixtures of the European Tour that gave it a distinctly antipodean flavour. That flavouring is now left to stalwarts like Richard Green and Peter O’Malley to maintain, whilst new names continue to make the pilgrimage to the world’s second most lucrative tour.
Again, there are more than a few who need to pull a rabbit out of their hat by the end of the month. Canberra’s Matt Millar sits in 130th place on the money list with one event remaining, in need of another €40,000 to squeeze into the top 115 where exempt sanctuary awaits. Just below him are Terry Pilkadaris (141st) and Wade Ormsby (149th), in need of another €60-70,000 apiece.
Pilkadaris already has his card in place on the Asian Tour and may not be concerned with the European equation. For Ormsby though, it is a different matter. Having stormed onto the tour three years ago with an excellent rookie year he now finds himself at something of a crossroads. His form has tapered off, and the ability to take a round deep into red figures which was once a feature of his game has deserted him at the same time. He needs to recapture that element quickly to avoid a trip to tour school for a second consecutive year.
Of the secondary tours, the U.S. Nationwide Tour holds the most interest from an Australian perspective. Nick Flanagan, Jason Day and Matthew Jones have a lock on promotion to the ‘show’ next year, but sitting just outside the top 25 are a horde of Aussies.
It is always difficult to predict the exact number needed to win a coveted PGA Tour card, but somewhere around US$195,000 seems to be the consensus bet. Within striking distance of that amount at the moment sit Scott Gardiner, Greg Chalmers, David McKenzie and Aron Price. All four have a solid chance of making it but need a big week to finish off the year. McKenzie’s outright second place this week in Chattanooga leaves him less work to do than the rest.
The unpalatable alternative route, as always, is another venture to tour school. This is generally about as appealing as having your fingernails pulled off with pliers. During “crunch time”, the spectre of having to endure the uncertainties surrounding such an event should be all the motivation needed to find an inner reserve capable of producing ones best.
Control over their own destiny is the reward for those who can.
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