Philip Reidtalks to the Athlone golfer about his win in Wales last weekend and his plans for the rest of the season

Perfect timing. With a breakthrough win on the Challenge Tour under his belt, Colm Moriarty has no intention of sitting on his laurels, especially since his next engagement is on his home course, at this week's Challenge of Ireland at Glasson.

"I want to kick on now," said Moriarty, who had a career-changing win in the Wales Challenge on Sunday.

Moriarty, a former Walker Cup player who had been relying on sponsor's invitations to play on the Challenge Tour, jumped 142 places up to 34th on the money list.

Now, instead of sending off letters seeking a place in tournament fields, the Athlone golfer can choose where and when he plays for the rest of the season as he attempts to claim a card on the main tour for next season.

"I'm treating this win as a stepping stone," said Moriarty, who'd also won on the lower level EuroPro Tour earlier this season. That win, though, gave him the confidence to take the next step up.

"I'd put a lot of work in over the winter, working on all aspects of the game, on my swing and my fitness and the mental game. It is alright to talk about (potentially) winning, but you have to go out and do it. Now, I believe that winning my full tour card is a very realistic goal."

For Moriarty to achieve that milestone, he must finish in the top-20 on the Challenge Tour rankings, or take the alternative route through Tour Q-School. Although he has played only four times on invitations this season, his win in Wales has catapulted him up the money list and within sight of that target.

Moriarty endured a poor season in 2006 which left him with no card for the Challenge Tour.

"I decided to have a good, hard look at myself. In my first couple of years as a professional, I'd played fairly decently and was going in the right direction. But last year, between one thing and another, I had a very disappointing time. There was something wrong, so I had to take action," he said.

Among the changes he made were to go back to coach Brendan McDaid and to attend an outfit called Sports Vision International, where he literally was coached into training his eyes to work correctly.

Moriarty is one of 24 Irish players in the field at Glasson, which has a top prize of €24,000. Michael Hoey, the best-placed Irishman on the Challenge Tour rankings in 30th, and another winner on that circuit, and Stephen Browne, are also playing.

Meanwhile, Peter Lawrie, Damien McGrane, Gary Murphy and David Higgins are this week competing in the Russian Open, which has been elevated to a full tournament - rather than a dual badge event - on the European Tour.