Golf: Fresh out of school, fresh out of money

Andy Farrell talks to golf's rookies who have... and those who have not

IF THERE was anyone happier than Colin Montgomerie over New Year, it would have to have been the Scot's bank manager. Monty's first deposit of the year, after winning the Andersen Consulting World Championship, was a cool $1m.

This is nothing unusual for someone whose sterling efforts over the last few years have pushed his career earnings in Europe over pounds 6m. Winnings of pounds 798,947 gave Montgomerie his fifth successive Order of Merit victory in 1997, and although he is skipping this week's tour opener, the Johnnie Walker Classic in Thailand, much more will be coming his way in '98.

But nothing separates the haves from the have-nots more than the money- list table. Paul Curry, a former winner of the Jersey Open, earned pounds 50,057 but by finishing 118th on the Order of Merit he missed out on regaining his card by one place. Worse happened to those not much further down the list who failed to win in excess of pounds 40,000 and made a loss on the season.

For any young rookie fresh out on tour, retaining their card is the season- long objective. However, the business of finding the pounds 1,250 (on average) each week, to cover flights, hotels, meals, a caddie and any other necessary expenses, is the most immediate concern.

The figures suggest it is a struggle. Only 6 of the 15 newcomers from the Challenge Tour retained their cards last year together with 9 out of 45 from the Qualifying School, an overall pass mark of 25 per cent.

However great the rewards might be later on, for those trying to establish themselves on tour the security of a sponsor makes all the difference. But finding someone to bankroll your dream is not as straightforward as it seems. A little ingenuity is called for.

Maarten Lafeber is one of three Dutch players to gain places on the tour from last November's Qualifying School. The 23-year-old from Eindhoven has formed a company called Future Golf and has issued 7,500 shares at 100 Guilders (around pounds 35) each. In order to publicise his initiative, Lafeber called a press conference and was featured on Dutch television, as well as in the newspapers and golf magazines. From the sale of the shares, Lafeber, who had a handicap of plus-four when he turned professional at the end of last year, has around pounds 250,000 to finance his first five years as a professional golfer. There is a catch, though. "All the money I make will go to the company," he explained. "If I don't play well, people will not get their money back."

But if everything goes according to plan, Lafeber, who is being helped in the project by Andersen Consulting and the Dutch bank Theodoor Gilissen, will be able to give his shareholders a handsome return on their money. "After three years I have the option to buy back the shares for 150 Guilders. The shares have been bought both by companies and by individuals, some of whom play golf and some who don't."

While his countryman Chris Van der Velde, who was on tour until 1993 before trying his luck in the United States, the land of his birth, persuaded a potential sponsor to sign on the dotted line by winning the Qualifying School, Robert-Jan Derksen knows of the problems that can occur in a country not entirely au fait with the golfing scene.

"One sponsor has offered me pounds 1,000," Derksen, a former Dutch amateur champion, said. "He thinks he is doing a good job, and it is kind, but I can hardly play one tournament. Golf is seen as an elitist sport so people think if you play you must have money. I don't yet."

A straw-poll of new players at the recent MacGregor Training School in Spain revealed most of the Swedes were lined up with sponsors and that it is most likely to be a Briton who is left in the position of hoping to win enough on the golf course to cover his expenses. If any do have backing, it is probably from a private benefactor, someone from their club or a friend.

Ged Furey is doubly fortunate. At 37, he is embarking on his dream late in life but his job as club pro at Pleasington, near Blackburn, is being kept open for him while his expenses will be paid by a friend. "We met when playing in pro-ams a few years ago," Furey said. "He is a self-made man and he doesn't want any publicity."

Five years ago in a rare appearance in a tour event, Furey finished 12th in the Jersey Open, but played in the final group with Sam Torrance. "I know I have got the game to do it," said Furey, whose two assistants will run his shop while his wife, Wendy, looks after the banking. "I have everything to gain. I'll be happy to go back to Pleasington, but if I win pounds 100,000, I might not want to go back. Whatever happens, I won't go back to the Tour School. This is make or break."

For younger players, perseverance may be the key. Andy Sandywell won pounds 42,737 in his rookie season last year but had to go back to the school to regain his card. The 28-year-old from Congleton has not had a sponsor for two years. "It is hard to find sponsors in Britain because there are so many of us."

As for a benefactor, Sandywell is not especially keen on the idea in the first place. "If I do make it, it will be nice to know that I have done it on all my own efforts," he said. By that time, someone else could be paying the expenses anyway. How else would the star-studded field - Woods, Els, Faldo etc - have been assembled in Thailand? Would that the free plane tickets be given to those who need them most. Life is not like that.