Tim Wilkinson is in for a white knuckle ride as he enters the toughest month of his golf career.
The New Zealand left-hander is tantalisingly close to retaining his playing rights on the PGA Tour in the United States.
He needs to finish 125th or better on thetour money list. He is inside that number now at 112th, helped by the US$27,042 ($41,526) he banked yesterday for finishing in a tie for 36th at the Turning Stone Resort Championship near New York.
That lifted his tournament income in his rookie season to US$785,007, US$85,000 ahead of the 125th ranked player, American Zach Johnson.
Just five tournaments remain in the Fall Series for Wilkinson, 30, to confirm his playing privileges for 2009. He intends competing in four of them, beginning with the Texas Open which starts at San Antonio on Friday.
His coach, Andre White, yesterday said the enormity of what was at stake in the next month could not be ignored. But was crucial for Wilkinson to embrace the position he found himself in, rather than fretting about it.
He had passed on some words of wisdom shared by former world snooker champion Steve Davis.
"Davis reckoned that 'you know you're good when you can play for everything like it means nothing'," White said.
"It is so, so true and also so important. You need to take the pressure out of your head.
"Anyone who plays golf would give their right arm to be in his position."
White is supremely confident Wilkinson will retain his card for next season, even if there have been subtle signs the Palmerston North product has been feeling the strain. "He is playing a little apprehensively, and that is to be expected. It would be impossible not to," White said. "But he is swinging the club beautifully."
