Football saved my golf career, says Begay

Four-time PGA Tour winner Notah Begay has admitted he considered quitting golf before his love for sport was reawakened by soccer.

Begay will join the European Tour in 2007 after getting through qualifying school, and is now fully fit after suffering from depression as he spent nearly six years overcoming a back injury.

"(Football) gave me a passion to play again," Begay told BBC Sport Online. "I just love it. To see the passion that fans have for their team reignited the passion I have for my golf."

The former Presidents Cup star watched Manchester United draw with Chelsea, Bolton beat Arsenal and West Ham's win over Sheffield United on television in the US last weekend.

The Native American has taken an unusual step in opting for the European Tour rather than playing on one of the US circuits, but says one of the benefits will be the amount of football he can watch.

"I'm going to enjoy getting to see world-class football every week on the telly, so that's going to be a good part of my trips as well," he said.

Begay's enthusiasm for soccer saw him set up a school for kids from his Native American community in New Mexico, and he says it was a major part in his recovery from a torn disc in his lower back - one of the most serious injuries for a golfer.

"In a nutshell, it kept me from going into some darker places and deeper levels of depression. I saw the motivation and excitement in their eyes when they played soccer and I remembered how much I loved golf."

Begay, who was a top-15 player after winning four times in 12 months in the US between 1999 and 2000, admits that prior to his involvement with the football team he had seriously been considering a career outside of sport.

"I was physically bad, I was battling depression and I didn't see any alternatives other than to quit golf and try something new," he said. "I have an economics degree from Stanford University, so I had options, but I stuck it out and got through it."

Begay remains close friends with Stanford room-mate Tiger Woods and he says the world number one was one of the people who helped him get his career back on track.

• NEW ZEALAND OPEN:English trio Lee James, Nick Dougherty and Simon Wakefield played themselves into contention in awful conditions during the first round yesterday.

Torrential rain and howling wind made life extremely difficult for the players at the Gulf Harbour Country Club, but James, who teed off early in the morning, took his opportunities to finish the day on two-under-par 69, two shots adrift of leader Scott Strange.

Dougherty and Wakefield cast aside mediocre starts to finish strongly, but after looking set to challenge for the overnight lead, disappointing bogies on their final holes proved costly.

Damien McGrane is on one-under-par 70 while Peter Lawrie is two back after a 72.

However, the day belonged to Strange, who, with the day all but over and most of the spectators departed, turned in the best round with birdies on three of the last four holes to claim the outright lead with a four-under-par 67.

• DRUG TESTING:The first drug testing at the World Amateur golf championships has resulted in no positive findings.

The International Golf Federation selected six players at random during each of the women's and men's competitions in Stellenbosch, South Africa, in October, and all samples collected were negative for prohibited substances.

Tests were conducted by the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport.