Golf: Waite likely for NZ Open

Former New Zealand Open champion Grant Waite is likely to return home for the 2005 tournament in February.

Waite will be playing on the secondary Nationwide Tour in the United States next year and two of the events are in Adelaide and Christchurch.

If he plays those, he will also be in the field for the New Zealand Open at Gulf Harbour, Auckland, from February 10-13.

"There is a reasonable chance I will play in them," Waite told the Manawatu Evening Standard, but stressed he was still figuring out his schedule while taking two weeks off at home in Florida.

Waite won the New Zealand Open at Paraparaumu Beach in 1992, and a year later had his best PGA Tour ranking of 35th.

In 2004 his golf was below his best, making only 10 cuts in 29 starts and finishing 180th on the PGA Tour money list.

He lost his full status when he missed the cut by two shots at the second stage qualifying school at St Augustine, Florida, last month.

"I have played poorly before and very well before. It's about not getting too down on yourself.

"I have still got a number of good years left in me."

Waite earned US$239,000 ($341,770) this year but almost half of that came from his 11th placing in the Bell South Classic in April.

Waite, 40, has a PGA Tour lifetime exemption thanks to being a past champion, at the Kemper Open in Maryland in 1993, and having made more than 150 cuts in his career.

It is closer to 200 now, and that guarantees him 10 to 15 starts on the full tour.

"That's plenty if you're good enough. But I plan to play some (Nationwide) tournaments early in the year."

This year he had two major distractions, but refused to blame them for his poor form when he was fighting his swing and his game all year long.

In the middle of the year he suffered stomach problems, probably caused by a virus, which put him in hospital for a week.

"That was bad timing. It was difficult, but I just didn't play well enough."

Four hurricanes struck Florida and three of them hit the Orlando area where he and his family live.

With airports closed, he was unable to get home for a week to his new house.

A few trees were knocked down, there was a little damage to his house and the winds were terrifying at more than 150km/h.

Waite is determined to fight his way back on to the PGA Tour after two ordinary years by his standards.

"The great thing about my game (golf) is you can climb the ladder so fast. The tough thing is you can go down the ladder just as fast.

"That's part of the business we are in but it's certainly not where you want to be."

Waite turned professional in 1987, has been to the qualifying school about six times and has made it through on four occasions, including last year when he was 188th on the money list.

He said it equates to telling a person who has an ordinary job he has a one-week test coming up to retain his career.

"If you have a bad week, that's it, you're out. It is such a hit-and-miss thing."

- NZPA