Golfing year with a difference for Doug Batty

Tuesday, Jan 19, 2010

Doug Batty's golf year in 2009 could not have had greater contrasts. Without a tour card at the start of the year, he spent the majority of it playing small pro-am events around the United States and back in New Zealand - apart from one glorious week in June.
 
That was when he had a nine-hole practice round with Tiger Woods and played the United States Open at Bethpage.
 
"If it hadn't been for that week it would have been an extremely quiet year for me, but it is one week that I will always remember for the rest of my life," he said in Christchurch today as he prepares for the New Zealand PGA Championships starting at Clearwater on Thursday.
 
"Having lost my card on the Canadian Tour in 2008 (by $15) I had no status and nothing really to play in, so I went to a few pro-ams, had a lot of practice and played the pre-qualifier for the US Open."
 
A sponsors' invite for this week and next at the Michael Hill New Zealand Open in Queenstown, Batty is looking to repeat the efforts of Steve Alker and Josh Geary last year, that opened doors for them in the United States.
 
"I've never played in the New Zealand PGA, I've never played at Clearwater and I know my swing looks rusty as I come to grips with the new clubs that we have to use this year, so it promises to be an interesting week.
 
"My driving has always been my strength because I hit it pretty straight, but to be competitive I will need the conditions to rough up a bit. I'm at my most competitive when par is a pretty good score for the day," he said.
 
The driving range at Clearwater today, where he and his caddy, brother Rob, where videoing and analysing his iron play, is a far cry from that wonderful week in June.
 
"You are still only playing a game of golf, but it is everything else that surrounds it that makes it special. You can be on the driving range and Phil Mickelson can drop in on one side of you and V.J Singh on the other. When I played with Tiger I was scared to look at him for the first few holes. He certainly has a presence.
 
"But that was last year. These two invites have given me the chance to get a good start to 2010. My goal remains to play the American circuit. My roommate at College was John Merrick and he is on the tour, so I know what has to be done," he said.