From Dallas, Texas to Kaingaroa Forest Village | Rotorua Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Rotorua

Jason Laing has been playing golf in America and caddying in South America but found himself cutting lawns in Kaingaroa Forest Village on Saturday.

"I've got to earn my keep somehow," said the fledgling professional, now based in Dallas and attempting to qualify for this week's New Zealand PGA Championship in Christchurch today.

Last month he was in South America caddying for Taupo's Phil Tataurangi on the Nationwide Tour and he saw this week's co-sanctioned New Zealand tournament as a perfect chance to get home.

Laing took the opportunity to call in on his family at Kaingaroa Forest Village and they were quick to take advantage of the former greenkeeper's prowess with the mower.

He was pressed into action to cut the family's lawns and the nearby Kaingaroa Forest Golf Club where he had polished his game while rising through the club, Bay of Plenty and national ranks.

Laing played more than 100 games in the blue and gold of Bay of Plenty and moved to the US with his wife Dana five years ago.

The goal was always to play golf professionally and since heading Stateside, Laing has played in more than 30 mini tour and qualifying events as he looks to play his way into the big show and home of the world's best players - the PGA Tour.

Laing cracked it once, earning a spot in the Shell Houston Open in 2004. But he missed the cut and spent most of last year chasing $150,000 mini tour purses.

He described his efforts as "average, nothing exciting" but he did manage a couple of top 10s among the highly competitive 144-156 player fields.

On the direction of his sponsors, Laing will follow the same qualifying path in 2006.

"I was looking at trying another way but I was talking to a couple of my buddies back there [Dallas] and they added up my Monday scores and I was 32-under-par and said 'it's not like you're playing bad, you just got to keep going'," Laing said.

And so today in Christchurch he'll do just that, alongside journeymen professionals and fresh-faced wannabes who'll chase four spots in this week's New Zealand PGA Championships at Clearwater.

Laing is well aware of what the 18-hole occasion requires.

"She's a shootout, a 100m dash, you've got to get out of the blocks quickly."