Golf: PGA Tour start for Heaven

1.00pm

Brad Heaven's fledgling golf career has received a significant boost with confirmation of his first start on the PGA Tour in the United States.

The New Zealander will contest the US$3.8 million ($6.08 million) John Deere Classic in Illinois next week, just his second event as a professional.

Heaven, 23, launched his career as a tour pro well off the beaten track in Germany last week where he contested a secondary Challenge Tour event of such low profile that he struggled to identify it.

Now, he has the chance to trade shots with some of the world's best players, an opportunity he is keen to make the most of.

"It's kind of a big deal to play in a PGA Tour event," Heaven said from his base in Toledo, Ohio, where he graduated last month after four years of college study.

"I'm really looking forward to it. It will be a pretty special week for me."

Heaven, whose father Darryl will carry his bag next week after also caddying for him in Germany, said he hoped to start in another couple of tournaments on the PGA Tour via sponsors' invitations, something he was leaving up to his management firm, Octagon, to arrange.

He was more than satisfied to earn a pay cheque for a modest 957 euros ($1868) when finishing in a share of 27th place in the Galeria Kaufhof Pokal Challenge outside of Duesseldorf last weekend.

He had originally planned to stay on in Europe to contest this week's Finnish Open before his management company suggested he head back to the US once his place in the John Deere Classic was confirmed.

"I had to do the right thing and head back so I'd be available to play the John Deere pro-am next Monday," Heaven said.

Heaven, who finished second when playing as an amateur in the New Zealand Open in Auckland in January, has quickly learned that life as a touring pro is entirely unpredictable.

His playing schedule is up for negotiation, as he also looks to attempt to qualify for some second tier Nationwide Tour events in the US, maybe head to Florida to play on that state's mini tour, and head back to Europe at some stage for more Challenge Tour events.

"I was told that the first six to 12 months in this profession was the hardest because you have no stability," he said.

"You don't know what's coming up next and you're just waiting for a call here or there if a tournament has an opening.

"I just want to play as much as I can. It's a matter of competing and keeping my game honed," said Heaven, who intends attending the qualifying schools for both the PGA Tour and the European Tour towards the end of this year.

"The whole battle is to keep on competing but fortunately here in the States there is so much golf to play in for professionals, that that should not be a problem."

- NZPA