Within a few hours of regaining a USPGA Tour card in California on Monday, Richie Coughlan had signed one deal for $25,000 and turned down another worth $125,000. "I've had offers coming from all angles," he said with obvious relish yesterday. "It's great to be back in the big arena."

As it happened, Coughlan's 23under-par aggregate of 409 for the six-round final qualifying tournament earned him a cheque for $25,000 for a share of eighth place. Italy's Emanuele Canonica and Sweden's Per-Ulrik Johansson, in a share of 31st place, were other Europeans to have got among the 35 qualifiers for the regular US Tour next year.

Meanwhile, Sean Quinlivan of Ballybunion failed to get through, despite a strong finish of 68 for a total of 436 - four over par. But, apart from picking up a consolation $4,000, he will be exempt on the Buy.Com Tour - the US equivalent of the Challenge Tour - next year, when he hopes to play several events.

Three years ago, Coughlan gained the unique distinction of winning tour cards on both sides of the Atlantic. After deciding to commit himself to the American scene, where he had gained prominence as a member of the Clemson college team, he lost his card after only one season, missing out by only about $200 on 150th place in the money list, which would have given him conditional exemptions in 1999.

Now, at 26 and having played the Hooter's Tour in Florida this year, he is ready to challenge Tiger Woods among the game's elite. "I believe I'm now a much stronger player for a number of reasons," he said. "For a start, I'm physically fitter. I'm now down to 11 stones, having lost two stones, and I'm certain this stood to me towards the end of a very hard grind on Monday.

"Through working on weights, I made sure I wouldn't sacrifice any strength. In fact I'm hitting the ball as far as ever, though I didn't drive particularly well over the six rounds here. I've found that the key to a successful challenge in the qualifying school is to get off to a fast start, which I did with a first round 66.

"That's largely because I'm putting better. I've been averaging under 30 putts a round and you've got to do those sort of figures to make it out here. In the 262 holes I played over the three stages of the qualifying school, I was a total of 40 under par and without a three-putt. I was 16 under for the first stage, one under for the second and 23 under for the finals.

"I'm not afraid to shoot low numbers," he added, "which I know I'll have to do if I'm to earn the $400,000 necessary to retain my card next year. But most importantly of all, I'm more mature, more confident now than I was when I first qualified three years ago. That's going to make a huge difference."

Coughlan, who will probably be based in Albany, New York, expects to return to tour action in the Tucson Open in the New Year for the first of what will probably be a 32-tournament season for him. He retains reasonable memories from Tucson, having shot a two-under-par aggregate of 286 there two years ago for a share of 59th place behind David Duval. Indeed he started the 1998 season encouragingly, with a 49th-place finish in the Hawaiian Open and a share of 56th place in the rain-affected Pebble Beech Pro-Am.

His $25,000 deal on Monday was with Titleist, but he turned down a club contract from Taylor Made, preferring to remain with Ping. And there are other deals in the pipeline.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for me and I'm determined to make the best of it," he added. "But in the meantime, I can't wait to get home for Christmas." In fact the former Irish amateur international is returning next week to his native Birr, where there is a rather important happening in the New Year. "It's the silver jubilee of the founding of St Brendan's Community School and I've been invited back to meet all my old pals," Coughlan explained. "Then I'm heading back here to the States where I'm hoping my golf career can begin in earnest."

Coughlan graduated in speech communications and psychology from Clemson University in 1997, when he also represented Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup at Quaker Ridge. With a 12th place finish in the USPGA Tour School later that year, he embarked on what was to become only one season in the top flight.

When the Walker Cup was staged at Portmarnock in 1991, the then 17year-old from Co Offaly was happy to caddie for Phil Mickelson and Duval, who were members of the victorious American team. Nine years on, he is ready to stand alongside them as an equal.