Golf: Iles on brink of graduating to big stage

Kiwi golfer Brad Iles is currently 25th on the Nationwide Tour moneylist. Photo / Getty Images

Brad Iles is taking a break from his day job as a touring golf professional to holiday at home, a mid-winter sojourn which will involve more hitting of small, white, dimpled balls.

The 25-year-old arrived at his parents' home at Papamoa in Bay of Plenty yesterday, planning to put his feet up for four days before heading to Auckland to collect a good mate, Grant Buchanan.

The pair are to hire a campervan next week and tour the North Island as they drive to Wellington, stopping regularly despite the chilly weather to play golf and find time to exercise.

"He's a boxer and we are going to do some boxing training and dune runs when we are not playing golf," Iles said.

It is Iles' way of relaxing before the most important four months of his career as he bids to nail down a place on next year's PGA Tour in the United States.

He promises to earn promotion from the secondary Nationwide Tour providing he maintains the sort of form which has lifted him to 25th place on that circuit's moneylist with income of US$84,048 ($132,170) after nine appearances.

If he can maintain or improve his position by season's end, Iles will be on the PGA Tour in 2010, an elevation which carries with it potential riches.

He is in effect a handful of top performances away from joining compatriot Tim Wilkinson on the sport's biggest stage, where the purses, crowds, hype and pressures are magnified 20-fold compared to what Iles has experienced to date.

A second season Nationwide player, Iles is sure he can get the business done. He can feel it in his young bones.

"I will need one win and one top three, or five top threes. I know what I have to do, I need to earn at least US$210,000.

"I am very confident I can do that. I feel like I can do it. To do it I will have to be 100 per cent on the game very day. I will need to do all the physical and mental training, train hard, and spend plenty of time in the gym."

He is confident that off-course work will be rewarded with success on-course.

"I am exactly where I want to be."

After playing five tournaments in as many weeks, Iles' mind and body need a period of rest and recreation.