Golf: Cambo win just the tonic for fit-again Tataurangi

Phil Tataurangi

A bullish Phil Tataurangi says he has drawn inspiration from his old Eisenhower Trophy teammate Michael Campbell as he prepares for his comeback to top level golf.

The Dallas-based Tataurangi returns from a 16-month layoff to repair his damaged lower back for three Nationwide Tour events, including the New Zealand PGA championship at Clearwater in Christchurch from February 23-26 before hitting the PGA Tour trail in March.

Tataurangi intends beginning rebuilding his PGA career at the US$5.5 million ($7.8 million) Honda Classic in Florida from March 9-12.

He has savoured watching Campbell's triumphant progress through 2005, culminating in his US Open title in June.

The pair were part of the world amateur title-winning team in Vancouver in 1992 - Tataurangi also winning the individual title - the others being Stephen Scahill and Grant Moorhead, both of whom are also playing at Clearwater.

"Michael's had a few potholes along the way and I'd like to think the couple of challenges I've had will also help me with what we're doing in the future," Tataurangi told the Herald from Los Angeles last night.

The last time 34-year-old Tataurangi teed up on the PGA Tour was in Jackson, Mississippi in October 2004.

He has had two bouts of surgery on the troublesome disc in his lower back. The first was in May 2003 in Dallas, when he was out for four months; the second was in Auckland last February.

He feels physically better than ever and is confident his injury-plagued last three years will soon be just a bad memory.

"I'm looking forward to the future more than spending time looking at the past.

"I'm pretty certain the changes I have made to my body, my technique and my approach all round are going to be good for me personally and professionally."

Tataurangi is one of seven New Zealand professionals to have won on the PGA Tour - the others being Sir Bob Charles, John Lister, Grant Waite, Frank Nobilo, Craig Perks and Campbell.

He won the Invensys Classic in Las Vegas in October, 2002. His ranking got up to the mid-50s before the back problems began.

Now he is upbeat about what lies ahead and confident he can regain that status, given time to get back into full competitive mode.

"I've no doubt at all. That is the plan," he said. "There is a lot of golf left in front of me, and quite possibly my best golf."

He has no doubts his body will stand the strains of the day to day grind and he can't wait to get back into action.

"I'm past the trepidation stage. I don't feel nervous about my body, in fact I feel quite confident about it.

"If you'd asked me three or four months back I wouldn't have been as confident but now I'm really looking forward to getting out there."

Tataurangi, who had a medical exemption to sit out last year, is planning between 21 and 25 tournaments on the American circuit.

The aim is to be inside the top 125 at the end of the season and thus gain a full card for next year.