Golf: Tataurangi won't give up on getting career back on track

To suggest that Phil Tataurangi has a stubborn streak is a bit like saying Tiger Woods has some golf game.

The New Zealand golfer does not know the meaning of the word quit, hence his ongoing battle to reignite a career cruelly stalled by a series of injuries and health issues.

Aside from a heart condition which has been successfully treated, the 38-year-old has overcome a serious neck complaint and a herniated disc at the base of his spine as he strives to get his career back on track.

He is convinced the cause is far from lost and was pleased to have something to show for his efforts after the second round of the US$600,000 ($845,940) New Zealand Open at The Hills yesterday.

Tataurangi posted a second round of four-under 68 for a championship card of seven-under 137, leaving him in a share of sixth place, five shots behind the leader, American Robert Gates.

Tataurangi has pieced together rounds of 69 and 68 this week, both times dropping shots on his last hole, and was pleased to put scores on the board which reflected how well he had played, despite missing four makeable birdie putts on his back nine.

"I hit decent putts on the line I wanted but they either didn't have the pace or it wasn't quite the right line," he said of the missed opportunities from inside 3.9m on the 13th to 16th holes. The game of golf is measured by what you put down on your scorecard but your progress can be many things other than that," Tataurangi said.

"It's been nice the last two days to get representation of how I have been playing."

Tataurangi enters this year with conditional status only on the second tier Nationwide Tour in the United States, which is beginning its long season at The Hills on the outskirts of Queenstown.

He lost his exempt status last season after finishing 104th on the moneylist then coming 90th equal at PGA Tour qualifying school.

It marks a considerable fall from grace for Tataurangi, who in 2002 won his only PGA Tour title at the Invensys Classic at Las Vegas.

His time on the main tour rewarded him with more than US$3 million in prizemoney but he has been unable to get back there since injuries sidetracked his career.

"I have gone through a process of evaluation, re-evaluating and re-evaluating my career but no, I have not thought of quitting. I'd have liked my progress to come along faster than it has been and at times it has created a bit of doubt whether what I am doing is right to provide the right results."