In fact, the 28 year-old is so confident that he has what it takes that he's not ruling out making the European Ryder Cup team when the event comes to the K Club in 2005. Sound far-fetched? Gary Murphy doesn't think so. A stablemate of Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley under the guidance of Chubby Chandler's International Sports Management organisation, Murphy has the skill to make it to the very top. But when?

"I know what I can do and what I'm capable of achieving, but I'm keeping it to myself for the moment," he said mysteriously this week. "Playing in the Ryder Cup on Irish soil would be something else and there's no reason why I can't go out and try to achieve that. In fact, my ultimate goal is to play in the States."

This might sound strange coming for a man who has won just £51,000 this season, finishing in 136th place on the Order of Merit, and whose next tournament will be a six-round slog on the Costa del Sol known as European Tour School Final Qualifying. But then again, Gary Murphy is a man who is no stranger to doing things the hard way. In fact, he looks on his struggling career as a professional golfer as "fun, but sadistic fun."

Twelve missed cuts this season, mainly as a result of indifferent putting, have forced him to make his sixth consecutive visit to the dreaded European Tour School Final Qualifying. It all happens at San Roque and Sotogrande from November 17-22 and Murphy is no stranger to how the system works. He failed to get his card there in 1995, 1996, 1997 or 1998, but after pre-qualifying for the final showdown last year he went on to finish joint 5th with another eternal struggler, Englishman Justin Rose, and clinch one of just 42 qualifying spots.

"Obviously my priority is to get a card but I'm going down there to win the tournament if you donít get one of the top 10 cards then you miss out on the first half a dozen events which means a few quid in the kitty so it's important." Murphy's final ranking from this season still guarantees him some starts next season but the former Irish Amateur champion has big plans, once he sorts out his putting horrors. Although he's ranked 11th in shot accuracy and 12th in greens hit in regulation, he's languishing in 178th place in the putts per round statistics. "Putting has been a problem," he confessed.

"I had a tip from Thomas Bjorn and Raymond Russell at the Italian Open and that's helped, but it's down to 60% confidence really. "You putt with your shoulders or your hands and I was trying to putt with my shoulders but was lined up way open so I've corrected that." "I'm three shots behind the top guys in putts per round but I'm shooting an average of 72.78 per round so if you combine the two you'll see that I'd be way up there with improved putting. "It's been a disappointing season because I've hit the ball well enough to be ranked in he top 50 but there's always next year." But getting his putting game in the groove in time for the Tour School Finals and another crack at things in 2001 is easier said than done in autumnal Ireland.

That's why Murphy has decided to escape the Irish climate and poor greens by heading to the Algarve for three days of practice at Parc de Floresta near Penina, early next week. "It's what I did last year and it worked out for me but I'm feeling really confident at the moment and I know that if I have a good week on the greens in Spain that I'll do really well," he said. But for the moment the big time has been remarkably elusive for Gary Murphy.

Not that it has stopped him playing golf. A winner of the Irish Amateur championship in 1992, Murphy turned pro three years later and then joined forces with Rathsallagh-based coach Brendan McDaid. Although he failed to get his card at the European Tour School on umpteen occasions, the former soccer mad youngster won the Asian tour School in the Philippines in 1997 and played in Asia for two winters, holding on to his card each time.

After giving up a promising soccer career at the age of 16 to concentrate on golf, Murphy was down to scratch within a year and went on to International honours in the amateur game at Boys, Youths and Senior level. This season, with a full card at his disposal, the affable Kilkenny man looked certain to retain his card when he threatened to win the Buzzgolf.com North West of Ireland Open in Cavan in August before an average final round saw him slump to 7th and only a modest cheque.

Despite finishing 12th in the Spanish Open and 27th in Qatar, Murphy knows that he has failed to make the cut too many times this season. Said Gary: "I chased my card too hard really an at one stage during the year when I played in 14 tournaments in a row which is crazy stuff. You need about £1800 sterling a week play the tour so it's nice to get a big cheque under you belt so you can concentrate on your golf. Like I said, it's fun, but it's sadistic fun."

With Murphy's grim determination to make something of himself as a golfer, the real fun might be just about to start.

Denis the menace
Denis O'Sullivan is set to become a true golden oldie.

The 52 year-old Corkman is in the US where he will try to win a PGA Senior Tour Card and a licence to print money!

Former top amateur O'Sullivan won his last two tournaments and a total of £91,259 for third place in the money list on the European Senior Tour. But now the man who didn't turn pro until he was 50 wants a crack at Hale Irwin and Co. on the other side of the pond.

Said O'Sullivan: "I'm going to the US Tour School mainly because I don't want to find myself at 60 regretting that I hadn't given myself the chance. But I know it is going to be very tough."

Irish Close champion in 1985 and the East of Ireland winner ten years ago, O'Sullivan's quest starts at a sectional pre-qualifying tournament in Florida next week.

Tears in Argentina
Ireland finished fourth in the Torneo Internacional Copa Juan C. Tailhade in Argentina last weekend but what a struggle it was for Walker Cup hopeful Noel Fox.

Fox and Michael Hoey finished 13 shots behind England at the Los Lagartos Club. Dubliner Fox started with a super 68 and followed it up with a steady 74 but then slumped to 80 and 83 over the final two rounds.

Said Foxy: "I let Michael down a bit at the weekend. It wasn't jet lag I just played badly and we really could have won the tournament if I'd played a bit better." Hoey was outstanding, however, and tied for the individual title with Finland's Panu Killainen after rounds of 69,74, 71 and 72.

Hurler on the ditch
Limerick hurling supremo Eamonn Cregan has swapped the sliothar for the golf ball. The GAA legend has taken up a new post as secretary manager of Newcastlewest Golf Club in Limerick. With 800 members to take care of, running a golf club makes looking after a hurling squad seem like a piece of cake.

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