Rogers aiming to earn US tour card

THE LURE of the United States - and its potential inch pickings - is proving hard to resist for Europe's women golfers and, today, Aideen Rogers will attempt to join the exodus when she flies out in search of a US LPGA tour card.

With $30 million in prizemoney and 42 tournaments, the American circuit is the most lucrative in the world and, over the past decade, it has proven to be a magnet for an increasing number of Europe's top players. The one-two finish in the US Order of Merit last year by Sweden's Annika Sorenstam and England's Laura Davies, respectively, confirms just how successful their conquest of the US tour has been.

Now, 23-year-old Dubliner Rogers is looking for a slice of the action. "It is the number one tour in the world and I want to set my sights high," said Rogers, who will be accompanied by former Curtis Cup player Julie Forbes, of Scotland, when the pre-qualifying school takes place at Mission Hills, Palm Springs next week.

Rogers, who is in her second season on the expanding European WPGA Tour, finished runner-up in the Portuguese Open earlier this season and has already retained her card for 1997. But she is sacrificing two competitive weeks in Europe - the Marks & Spencer tournament at Hanbury Manor in Oxford and the English Open - in order to pursue her quest for a US card.

The dream of playing in the United States is something which has been swirling around in the back of Rogers's mind and a visit to the US LPGA tent during the recent British Open at Woburn offered enough persuasion for the Irish professional to give it a shot.

"I had a chat with James R Webb, the tour's deputy commissioner, and he was very helpful and encouraging," said Rogers. Subsequently, she sought advice from Kathryn Marshall - the Scot who is one of European captain Mickey Walker's `wild card' choices for this month's Solheim Cup match with the United States - who has been based in the States since 1993. Again, the advice was: "Go for it, you've nothing to lose."

The final piece in the jigsaw, as far as Rogers was concerned, was finance. And even that fell into place when Costa Azul, the Portuguese regional tourist board, recently confirmed their backing of the Irish golfer for another Season.

"It is a big step, but I feel I have learned a great deal from my two years in Europe. I'm playing better and more consistently this season. I'm far more relaxed and am also making most of the cuts. Yet, I am still only covering myself on the tour," she said.

"I know it will be extremely tough to win one of the US cards. However, I feel confident about my game now. I picked up a new Odyssey putter at the British Open. It is heavier than the putter I had been using but it obviously suits me and my problems on the greens have gone," she said.

With just 30 places available from next week's prequalifying school into the qualifying school proper in November (when 22 to 25 cards will be available) Rogers - and Forbes - face a tough schedule if they are to keep their American dream alive.

"I've enjoyed my season in Europe, although there are some things I wouldn't repeat again. For instance, I spent five weeks in the early part of the season driving myself around the Continent from one tournament to another and, physically and mentally, it took a lot out of me," said Rogers.

"I also put myself under some pressure earlier in the season. At one stage, I was in contention for a Solheim Cup place and, if that situation arose again, I think I would be in a better position to handle it, just to go out and play my own game without thinking of making any team."

If Rogers does manage to secure her tour card for the US LPGA, as an international member she would be required to play a minimum of 15 tournaments in the States. However, it would also leave her free to play in Europe, too, with events like the Guardian Irish Open among her priorities. Last year, in her rookie season, Rogers finished 52nd in the European Order of Merit and, this season, she is currently placed 43rd.

There has been a haemorrhage of European players to the US for much of the last decade, although most of the "big guns" return to play tournaments on this side of the Atlantic, too.

However, the attraction of playing in America was summed up by Dale Reid last year. After playing in Europe as a professional for 17 years with just one-off appearances on the US circuit, Reid this season became the oldest "rookie" on the US LPGA.

She explained: "It is the lack of money over here. Terry Coates (the European tour chief executive) has done a great job, but there are still too many £50,000 events and that is not paying the mortgage. Over the past couple of seasons, I've also felt I am going a bit stale in Europe. If I wanted to carry on playing, I needed a new goal."

Another factor, however, is the huge success which European golfers have enjoyed in the United States. Last season, nine Europeans - Sorenstam, Davies, Lotta Neumann Helen Alfredsson, Alison Nicholas, Caroline Pierce, Pam Wright, Carin Hjalmarsson and Marshall - finished in the top 50 of the American Order of Merit.

"When you see what other players have achieved, financially and competitively, since moving to America, I feel I just have to give it a go," said Rogers. The quest starts in earnest next Tuesday.