Golf
Storm out to boost chances of US tour
GRAEME STORM hinted yesterday
he might turn to America
next season.
In his quest to improve on last
year's third place at the Estoril
Open de Portugal Storm carded a
first round 69 at Oitavos Dunes
yesterday.
The Hartlepool golfer is in good
enough form to improve on his
impressive showing on the outskirts
of Lisbon 12 months ago.
This is his first appearance
since running Vijay Singh and
Geoff Ogilvy close in the CA
World Championship in Miami a
fortnight ago.
His sixth place finish in Florida
helped to propel him up to
28th in the Order of Merit on the
European Tour, while sitting
112th in the World Ranking.
The reigning French Open
champion's intention is to climb
into the world's top 50, which
would warrant automatic inclusion
in the top events - including
next week's Masters, in which he
will not be competing.
Storm would like to achieve
that goal before the end of this
year.
But he has not completely
ruled out the possibility of following
the lead of Ashington's
Kenneth Ferrie and moving on to
the Tiger Woods-dominated PGA
Tour permanently.
"My aim is the world's top 50
because going to America is so
much easier to do then," said
Storm.
"But if I have a win this year I
might be tempted to go to their
qualifying school like Kenny Ferrie
did at the end of last year.
"Miami was just a great experience,
playing in the company of
those players. It just shows how
far I have come in the last few
years.
"The talent I was playing
alongside, Vijay and Geoff, you
get a real idea of just how good
these guys are and how much
they believe in themselves.
"Hopefully I can get to that
sort of standard and progress
even further."
Portugal is Storm's last event
before he takes a break ahead of
the arrival of his first child. His
wife, Sara, is due to give birth in
three weeks.
"If I get a call or a text message
I'll be off," said the former British
amateur champion, whose dazzling
third-round 63 in Florida
was arguably the best round of
his career.
He also led the USPGA after an
opening 65 last August and the
two performances have given
him a great deal of confidence
with stepping on to the America
scene forming part of his future
plans.
First, though, he wants to win
again on the European circuit
and a positive start was undone
on the final holes yesterday.
Storm's 69, two under par, has
left him six behind the leader, defending
champion Pablo Martin.
Three dropped shots on the last
three holes proved costly.
Yorkshireman Simon Dyson is
also well-placed after turning in
an opening round of 67, four
under.
Barnard Castle's Rob Dinwiddie
faces a fight to make the cut
after posting a one over par
round.
Martin, the first amateur ever
to win on the circuit when he
took the title a year ago, birdied
his first two holes when he set off
in the afternoon sunshine.
10:59am Friday 4th April 2008
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