Wightman confident of pro ranks and NZPGA qualification

After a successful season of golf, Northland number-one Scott Wightman is more confident than ever that he is ready to join the sport's professional ranks.
The Mangawhai golfer is currently preparing for the NZPGA qualifying school next month at the links-like Centennial Course at the Taupo Golf Club, with the familiar venue giving him one further reason for confidence.
"I've played there quite a few times and I'm actually still the course record holder - they used to always hold the New Zealand U23 championships there and I played in five or six of those tournaments and always enjoyed the course," he said.
If that isn't a good sign nothing is, but Wightman's decision to turn pro isn't a hasty one.
"I've been thinking about it for a little while now - I'm 24-years-old - and while I'm not old by any means, I thought it was about time to quit and have a good crack at it," he said.
"My coach agrees. He thinks I'm ready to go. I've had some good results this year but not really that much better than other years but I feel like I'm a better player now than before and I'm ready to take that next step."
It is the second year that Wightman has tried to qualify for the NZPGA after a half-hearted attempt wasn't enough at last year's qualifier, won by Blair Shaw.
"I had a go at doing the same thing last year but I wasn't really ready for it, I hadn't been playing very much golf and wasn't that prepared but in the end I think that probably worked out quite well for me because now I've got that experience under my belt," he said.
After finishing well off the pace, Wightman returned to play for Northland, after representing North Harbour for a few seasons while working in Auckland. In his first year back, he led the young Northland side to an above-average representative season, with his own form at the Toro Interprovincials at Paraparaumu Beach especially exciting.
"I had a great week. I played pretty good during the whole tournament - even when I got sick (with the flu) - and both my losses were pretty narrow. They were both up 18, and with a bit of luck I might have finished the week unbeaten," he said.
"That's helped me get some confidence ahead of going into Q-School - I'm on a bit of a high now and my confidence levels are a lot better than where I was last year," he said.
Golf, as any player will tell you, is a confidence game. So Wightman isn't taking his form lightly and is hoping to preserve it long enough to shine at Taupo on January 14-15.
"I always play my best golf when I'm on a roll after a couple of good tournaments. You go into the next tournament and you don't even think about it - you know where the ball is going because your confidence levels are way up," he said. "It's a very mental game golf. About 80 per cent I'd say.
"When you go to the interprovincials - pretty much everyone's got the ability to play well - it's the guys that have got the mental side of the game right that usually come through to win."
If he earns his card at Taupo, he plans to spend a year getting used to the professional game in New Zealand before looking further afield.
"The plan is to have a year in New Zealand before having a go at Aussie next year, with a bit more experience behind me and hopefully a bit more money," he said.
It will be a challenging year for Wightman, but hopefully he can improve on this year's form.