I always believed in myself, says jubilant Murphy

THE money is great but it’s the congratulations of his peers that really matters.

That was Gary Murphy philosophising last night on what his fourth place finish in Sunday's Scottish Open really meant to him. The 30-year-old from Kilkenny picked up almost 160,000 in prize money to bring his season's earnings to 261,973, bumping him up to 49th in the order of merit and clinched his card for the 2004 campaign.

In many ways, there was a fairytale touch to what happened at Loch Lomond. Murphy's plan was to come straight to Sandwich for the Open Championship qualifiers, believing that as first reserve he had little chance of getting into the Scottish.

However, he heard Philip Golding had injured his elbow and was a doubtful starter. So he called up the recent winner of the French Open, asked him how he was and suggested that as he had won £290,000 in Paris, he would be best advised to take the week off.

Golding obliged and Gary was off to the Scottish Highlands. What happened next was magical when put in the context of a golfer who had been to the Tour School on eight occasions from which he qualified twice only to lose his card immediately each time.

He shot ever decreasing rounds of 70, 69, 68 and 67 for 10 under 278 and now feels justified in commenting: "I always believed in myself. I always believed I merited my place out there."

After victory in the 1992 Irish Close Championship at Portstewart and several other successes, including the prestigious Mullingar Scratch Cup, Murphy turned professional in 1995. He has been to the dreaded Tour School every year since. After finishing fourth last November he vowed he would never go back.

"I had a good enough start to the year but then I cracked a rib getting out of the shower after the Singapore Open and was out for a month. I came back at Dubai but my game was poor. I was making cuts but little more until the turnaround came at the French Open. My timing had gone but through a lot of hard work both on my own and with my caddy Brian Martin, I started to play well again in Paris.

"I suffered a bad blow in the third round in France. I knocked my tee shot in the water at the short second and the ball rolled out of the drop zone. I thought I should replace it in the drop zone but that was another two shot penalty and the hole cost me a quadruple bogey seven. Still, I held in well and shot 68 in the final round. After that, I kept my form at The K Club and then came Loch Lomond.

"It was my first time there but the course suited me. It was great to play with Darren Clarke on Saturday. Funnily enough, I didn't know him very well and he was a terrific partner. He is popular with the galleries and there was a big crowd there. I must admit I was nervous on the first tee and I actually told my caddy Brian that, but he told me to get real, that he had backed me to beat this guy, and to get on with it. Sound advice, I must agree.

"Anyway, we were both playing well and Darren was a good benchmark by which I could judge how far my game had come. Apart from the fact he hit it 20 yards past me off the tee my God, he is seriously long it was shot for shot otherwise."

Clarke scored 64 to Murphy's 68 and went on to finish runner-up. Murphy partnered Iain Pyman, a teammate in the Britain and Ireland Youths team in 1993, in the final round and again he felt comfortable. A closing 67 bumped him up to fourth on his own and completely changed his perspective on life.

"Next week's Irish Open will be my eighth tournament in a row and I have played 16 in all and that's a bit much," he accepts. "But when you're not sure of your card, you play every chance you have. I'll have three weeks off in August. This is a great boost for my dad and mum, JD and Anne, and will save them a few bob too! I won't head to Sandwich until Tuesday. It's great to be in the Open but to have secured my card is what really matters."