Touring Europe can be arduous so why not look a bit closer to home?

Golf Correspondent

Tuesday 31 July 2012

It's a scenario that takes place season after season.

Having yet to find his feet in the professional ranks, James Byrne has contested events on the Scottish PGA circuit to help his career regain some momentum. Picture: Kenny Smith

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Nick Rodger

A young Scottish amateur golfer with a shedload of talent and a barrow full of honours decides to take the plunge into the professional game. The European Tour's qualifying school process lures them in with promises of bountiful opportunities and untold riches. The prospect of a glittering career is lying seductively on the horizon and our intrepid prodigy is not going let a four-round first stage, a four-round second stage and a six-round final stage stand between him and ultimate glory.

Yes, there are those who recklessly dive headlong into the paid ranks but would struggle to get on the 66 bus to East Kilbride let alone the main tour, but there are also those who plough on and secure at least a playing category for the European Challenge Tour. And then the problems begin. No sooner has the phrase "it's important to gain a foothold early on" been uttered, the great new hope has slipped down the ladder quicker than a startled peeping tom.The career path that began so smoothly swiftly becomes a pot-holed dirt track, littered with missed cuts, snapped putters, torn up scorecards and a host of shattered dreams. A lot of players retain some form of card for the second tier Challenge Tour while dividing their time competing on the third-tier EuroPro Tour or the myriad mini-circuits that are dotted around the UK and beyond.But why not use that category to add another string to the bow by applying for PGA membership and giving the Scottish PGA circuit a whirl?If a player has a Challenge Tour category or a decent EuroPro ranking, then they are eligible to sign up and attempt to qualify for the various order of merit events on the domestic circuit.Admittedly, for an ambitious wannabe touring pro, trips to places such as Kazakhstan and Kenya make the prospect of a pro-am at Lochwinnoch or Glencruitten seem as glamorous as a rainy night under a polythene awning.But let's look beyond that. The Tartan Tour still offers a stern level of competition against some seriously good professionals who have competed at the highest level. Going head-to-head with battle-hardened campaigners such as Greig Hutcheon, Scott Henderson, Stephen Gray, David Orr and Graham Fox can help toughen up a raw recruit. Often seen as a closed shop, there are now doors opening on the Tartan Tour.The Optical Express-backed series of events, for instance, has attracted a wide range of talented young pros, like James Byrne and David Law, who have found themselves living a fairly nomadic existence in the formative stages of their careers.In the struggle to find their feet in the professional game, every little helps. A few good showings in events on home soil could do wonders for a bruised and battered ego and may send such players back to the wider stage reinvigorated and refuelled with confidence.Having that feeling of being in contention in a tournament, getting a bit of favourable press coverage again and perhaps walking away with a half-decent cheque can all help bolster the morale in times of doubt. And the best thing is that it's competition on their own doorstep.It is also an appealing option after a financially crippling season spent bouncing here, there and everywhere for a few bits and pieces. You never know, a wee spell indulging in the home comforts could help kickstart a stuttering career.AND ANOTHER THINGShe's been sitting on her perch as world No.1 for 76 weeks now, but Yani Tseng is suffering her first real wobble. When she missed the cut in the Evian Masters at the weekend, it was the second early exit in her last three events.Between February 19 and March 25 this year, the five-time major winner racked up three titles on the LPGA Tour as her all-conquering crusades roared on. She has stumbled of late, though.In her last 13 competitive rounds, the 23-year-old from Taiwan has been a collective 36-over-par. Tseng won't be pressing the panic button just yet but in this game of fine margins, it doesn't take much for a dominant force to suddenly look vulnerable.

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Touring Europe can be arduous so why not look a bit closer to home?

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