Tour favourite seeing green

Ask any golfer - from a 36 handicapper to a PGA tour hotshot - and they will tell you the same story; if you can't hole the putts, then you can't expect to shoot low scores.

It's a failing that cost chunky American Jason Gore dearly last year, when he found himself relegated from the big time to the secondary Nationwide Tour, simply because he wasn't competitive enough, his lack of success caused mainly by poor eyesight.

Eight years ago he underwent laser surgery on his eyes but after missing more putts than he cared to remember on tour last year, he consulted his medical specialist during the off-season and solved the problem.

Given a simple eye test, Gore found he could read the letters perfectly on a red background but couldn't see a thing when switched to a green light.

"So, I can't see depth perception on green . . . and [pause] it's not like I'm never on it," he said, laughing good naturedly at his own unintended joke.

Fitted with prescription sunglasses, Gore (35) says the putts are starting to drop again, notably during a practice round at The Hills yesterday as he prepares to kick-start his career in the Michael Hill New Zealand Open, starting tomorrow.

Gore played yesterday with fellow Americans Ryan Hietala, Kelly Grunewald and Kevin Chappell, but missed the 18th hole as he was running late for a press conference.

But having "won the money" with Chappell 2-up, Gore declared himself happy with his form and also heaped praise on the course.

"It's fantastic. You have to think your way around it. There's no just getting up there and whaling it [the ball]. Some of the par 5s are relatively tight, so you have to play smart and not do anything too aggressive.

"You have to drive it straight out out there, especially with the new [wedge] groove rule. The rough is pretty long and wispy, so you can get flyers there pretty easy and the greens aren't very receptive.

"I'm sure the greens will speed up a little bit; the tour likes to keep them on the healthy side and then go ahead and chop them down for the tournament."

Gore says the greens are already fairly quick.

During his practice round yesterday he punched a wedge from about 40m to a high spot above the flag on the tricky 17th green and when the ball got hung up on the fringe, hung his head, knowing that the downhill putt for birdie was virtually impossible.

And so it proved.

Gore is among the most successful golfers competing at The Hills this week.

He has chalked up eight career wins and more than $US5 million in earnings, and is entitled to be rated the favourite, but he hopes a more relaxed approach in the lead-up will pay dividends in his first outing for 2010.

Asked about his preparation during the off-season, Gore confessed with a broad smile he had done "squat".

"I went out with friends, didn't work on my golf swing; I had a good time and just enjoyed myself, for a change.

"I'm feeling very refreshed. I'm not worried about how I'm going to play. I'm just going to go out and play golf and enjoy it."

Gore, who is on his fifth trip to New Zealand, has played several seasons on the secondary Nationwide Tour and says he does not feel like he is taking a backward step to be back on that tour.

"We all want to play our way into the big tour but, you know what, I did it, I put myself in this position, so I can go sit in the corner and sulk or I can come out here, with my head up and swinging and that's what I'm going to do.

"Hey, I get to play golf for a living. I'm still out here doing what I love to do, so if I can come to the tour over here, gain some confidence and start believing in myself again, like I did before, then I've got nothing to do but gain."