Golf: Scahill still searching for consistency

1.00pm

MADRID - New Zealand golfer Stephen Scahill has ended a fourth consecutive season on the European Tour still striving for consistency.

He capped off his final event in Europe this season with a rousing last-round 66 yesterday in the Madrid Open.

The effort earned the former Featherstone player a share of 30th place on eight under par and 7925 euros ($14,600).

Scahill, 25, arrived in Spain 90th in the Order of Merit but despite his solid last round, he dropped two spots on the money list and is now being credited with 92nd place and earnings for the season in 30 events of 226,547 euros ($419,000).

Scahill's best result this season was a ninth in the South African Open, the first event of the year.

He also had two 10th places and earned a pay cheque in 15 other tournaments.

A recent highlight was a hole-in-one on the last day of the European Masters in Switzerland.

Missing the cut in a number of big money events mid-season, including the British Masters, the Volvo PGA, June's European Open in Ireland, the Irish Open and a failure to qualify for the British Open remain his main disappointments.

After finishing 10th in Switzerland in September, Scahill failed to make the weekend rounds in German Masters and Heritage.

He has now contested 183 tournaments in Europe since 1996 and while a victory will fulfil a longtime ambition, he is striving for consistency.

"I'm pleased with my season and though my best finish was ninth, I've had a good, solid year with some performances," he said.

"The only difference having a good year compared with a year when I had been in the top 50 on the Order of Merit, was not finishing in the top three or four a couple of times," he said.

"So that is my goal for next year is to give myself chances to finish in the top five more often.

"A first win is not that much of a priority to me as you would think. Rather, I am more interested in consistency instead of being one of those guys who wins a tournament and does nothing else.

"I'd rather be doing what Nick O'Hern is doing and that is every time he plays, he is putting himself in contention."

O'Hern is currently 10th on the money list after managing two seconds and nine other top 10s this season.

"So next year, I will build on my consistency and get myself into events like this week's Volvo Masters for which I didn't qualify." Scahill said.

He said securing 10th in August's Dutch Open was his highlight of the season.

"I was under a bit of pressure in Holland with tournaments running out to secure my card for 2005 and I finished 15th the week before in Sweden and then 10th in the Dutch Open to earn a couple of decent good pay cheques and pretty well wrap up my card," he said.

"I felt good that I managed to get that out of the way and I'd have to say the Dutch Open was my best tournament tee to green. And though I didn't putt well that week, I felt I could have taken out the tournament."

He said he was "a bit depressed" after he missed three cuts in succession starting with February's Heineken Classic in Melbourne.

"Then my coach (Jonathon Yarwood) came over to the UK and I finished 20th in the Scottish Open."

Scahill will have a month's break from competition before heading to Shanghai for the China Open and then the Hong Kong Open before the Australian Masters in Melbourne.

While Scahill was heading out of Spain this week, fellow New Zealander Michael Campbell was heading to Spain for this week's Volvo Masters.

Campbell has been absent from the tour since finishing well down in the AMEX Championship in Ireland in early October.

The current world No 74 needs to make about 200,000 euros ($370,000) more and finish the year in the European top-20 (he is 25th at present) to be assured an automatic entry into next year's British Open.

An invitation to contest a fifth straight US Masters at Augusta National is unlikely unless Campbell experiences a dramatic turnaround.

- NZPA