Carolan takes a shot and qualifies for PGA | Golf

Peter Gardiner | 2nd December 2008

Sunshine Coast's Tony Carolan at Coolum.

A FATIGUED Tony Carolan is like a world-weary fighter willing himself off the ropes to have another crack at the elusive big payday.

After three weeks of constant golf and mixed results, the 40-year-old is functioning on jet-lagged, jangled nerves and residual adrenaline.

And yet the Sunshine Coaster was able to throw plenty at the Cadbury Schweppes Australian PGA pre-qualifying at Horton Park yesterday.

He shot a four-under 68 to ensure he would be teeing off in the crack field at the Hyatt Regency Coolum on Thursday. This was after he had ended his Australian Masters campaign on Sunday with rounds of 74-68-74-71 to finish in a tie for 31st.

Carolan was too tired to really think about what he might have taken out of the Huntingdale hunt for top form leading to Coolum.

“I 'm just fried at the moment,” he said. “To finish one under on such a tough course was pretty good –  I shot a 71 after they tricked up the pin placings to make it really tough out there. I ended up climbing about 20 places (on the leaderboard).”

Carolan had been doing his best overseas to qualify for his European tour card.

That came unstuck in Spain, missing the mark by a heart-stopping one shot. Without time to consider the cruelty of the game, he plane-hopped to China and a 42nd in the Hong Kong Open.

After the Masters, he had to tear out to the airport for a 4pm flight to line up with all the other hopefuls looking for the remaining PGA berths –  with his Horton Park tee off at 8.20am.

Carolan had not played enough local tournaments to gain entry and was not offered an invitation.

“I was able to get home last night at 5.30pm which felt really good,” Carolan said after his round yesterday.

He said the Horton Park course was in good shape, but the wind got up as the morning wore on.

“I really got my momentum at the eighth and the 10th holes –  I chipped on for birdies on both.”

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