So to the other side of the US coin: Richie Coughlan was tied 76th in the Texas Open last Sunday for a modest reward of $5,610. It was his 23rd event of the season in the US and lent further credence to the sporting truism that while it may be tough at the top, it's a lot tougher at the bottom.
Getting through qualifying school is often seen as the hardest part of tournament life, but it's a challenge Coughlan has handled remarkably well. Indeed he gained the unique distinction of getting cards on both sides of the Atlantic in 1997, finishing 12th in the US and 33rd at San Roque, Spain.
In the 1998 season in the US, Coughlan earned $174,035 for 151st place in the money list, which narrowly pushed him out into the cold. But he regained his American card last year with a share of eighth place in the 2000 Qualifying School. Now, he will have to return there once more.
Out of 55 tournaments entered on the US regular tour since 1998, the former Walker Cup player has made 25 cuts and only one top-10 finish - in the 1998 BC Open where he was tied ninth. Yet there have been very good rounds, like an opening 64 in the St Jude Classic last June and a first-round 65 in Hawaii last January.
So far this year, however, Coughlan has earned only $74,702 for 201st place on the money list, having made 13 cuts on the US regular tour. His other event was on the Buy.Com tour, where a share of 12th place in the Richmond Open was worth $8,330. So much for the so-called Tiger effect.
