Golf: Beard: I know I can cut it among pros

Josh Geary has qualified to play on the 2015 PGA Tour China. Photo / File

Playing for millions of dollars on the PGA Tour and winning the US Masters is every young golf professional's dream.

Mount Maunganui's Hayden Beard takes his first steps towards that lofty goal this week in Australia after he successfully made it through the competitive Australasian Q-School in late December and early January.

Beard finished fourth at the first qualifying stage at the Sandhurst Golf Club to progress to the final stage at Victoria Golf Club in Melbourne, where he did enough, finishing 44th, to earn a limited tour card for the Australasian Tour.

Beard, 24, is realistic about what lies ahead but believes his game is good enough to succeed on the professional circuit. And for most young pros that is half the battle.

"I have to pre-qualify on Mondays for some events so it is a tough start but I just have to then play well in the tournaments and get inside the top four or five, which will assure me a start the next weekend and then do the same again," Beard said.

"Hopefully I will work my ranking up so I get a good exemption for next year and then onwards to the Asian Tour."

Beard is a former head boy of Mount Maunganui College and has a management degree from the University of Waikato. He has bided his time to make his move into the pro ranks.

"I wasn't good enough to go to the States on a scholarship so I couldn't afford to pay my way to the college system over there ... I decided to go to Waikato because it was close enough that I could continue playing for Bay of Plenty," he said. "It all made sense and was a good base to have, with a lot of tournaments in the North Island.

"Basically I eventually want to play in the States on the PGA Tour so it was just a natural progression that I needed to take. Tour school was on and I was playing good so it was the next step turning professional and I look to the Australasian Tour to give me a good start.

"It is going to be difficult but I am looking forward to it. Self-belief is most important so we will just go and get it done."

-Mount Maunganui's Josh Geary, 30, has earned fully exempt status for the 2015 PGA Tour China after he finished 13th equal after four rounds of the global qualifying series held in Shenzhen, China, at the weekend.