Golf: Two Cuban putts turn Scahill's career around

By Graham Skellern

Stephen Scahill's golfing frustrations were finally exorcised this week in the unlikely setting of the Varadero club in Cuba.

After four rounds of superb golf, the 30-year-old Waikato-born professional player knew exactly what he would be doing next year - contesting the lucrative European PGA Tour.

Scahill produced a bright spot in a gloomy year for New Zealand professional golfers abroad by capturing the European Challenge Tour's Grand Final after slotting birdies on the closing two holes.

Scahill fired rounds of 67 69 71 70 - a total of 11 under par - to win the first major professional tournament held in Cuba by two shots from Sweden's Henrik Stenson and Spain's Jose Manuel Lara.

With his victory, Scahill was fifth on the challenge tour's order of merit and collected his playing card for the full European tour next year (by finishing in the top 15).

He can now play the Johnnie Walker Classic in Taipei, the World Cup in Kuala Lumpur and the Australian Open in Sydney this month with renewed confidence.

Scahill ended his European season with earnings of sterling 34,000 ($102,000). But before the Cuban event Scahill did not know what tour he would be playing next year.

Entering the tournament he was 16th on the order of merit and staring at another visit to the European Tour's qualifying school if he didn't perform in Cuba.

He wasn't looking forward to that after missing out on the top 40 at the qualifying school by the odd shot in the previous two years.

The revitalised Kiwi spared himself the agony by leading all the way in Cuba. It also saved him the worry of pulling out of the World Cup from November 19-22 - the same time as the qualifying school.

"I played fantastic all day but never made a putt until those last two holes," Scahill said of his final pressure-filled round in Cuba. He sunk a curling eight metre putt on the 200-metre par-three 17th and then rolled in a five metre putt for a further birdie on the last hole "The one at 17 had a six-foot swing, while I knew I could afford to bogey the last and still get my card. But that was the whole year's golf rolled into two putts," said Scahill, who turned professional in 1993 after helping the New Zealand amateur team win the world Eisenhower Trophy teams title in 1992

Scahill joins fellow New Zealanders Greg Turner and Michael Campbell on the European Tour - Turner was 31st on the order of merit this year and Campbell was 41st.

Another touring Kiwi, Elliott Boult, who tied for 18th in Cuba with a 1-under 287, finished 22nd on the Challenge Tour order of merit and will contest the six round qualifying school in Spain.

And the three American-based New Zealanders, Grant Waite (148th on the order of merit, Philip Tataurangi (150th) and Frank Nobilo (155th), have their last chance of staying on the USPGA Tour by contesting the final six-round stage of the qualifying school at Doral Golf Resort and Spa from November 17-22.

Golfers finishing in the top 35, plus ties, will earn their playing card for next year. Nobilo, who has now plunged out of the world top 200, must decide between the qualifying school and representing New Zealand at the World Cup.