WHILE he might have one eye on the OneAsia Tour later in the year Andre Stolz said he isn't in Griffith to muck about, as he and a host of other top professionals do battle for the $25,000 prize pool at the Nomacorc Pro-Am tomorrow.
A former winner on the US PGA tour, Stolz has now jumped back into circuit life after dropping off the radar after a chronic wrist injury nearly forced him to walk away from the game in 2005.
But with surgery and a modified swing, Stolz has proven several times since his comeback he still has what it takes to compete among the best as he looks to add the Griffith Pro-Am to his resume.
"Everybody's got a reason for being there (Griffith) and for me, I don't have anything on for five weeks and I feel like I am pretty close to playing some good golf, but I still have some things to work out," Stolz said.
"I could sit at home and practise, but it's not the same as putting yourself under a bit of pressure.
"I've been making a lot of birdies, but my iron play has been a little bit hot and cold and my putting can be a little up and down, but with some of the greens in Pro-Ams it's hard to know how you're really doing."
Stolz headlines a top-quality field for the two-day stroke event, with Newcastle's Aaron Townsend looking to defend his title from a field that features Queenslander Steven Bowditch.
Bowditch brings with him a victory last season on the Australasian PGA, after he claimed top prize at the Queensland PGA Championship, while Matthew Ecob and Craig Warren are also names to look out for in the list of 77 professionals.
Despite still being hampered by his wrist injury, Stolz believes if he can swing within himself and get rid of the couple of bad holes per round that occassionally come back to haunt him, he'll be in the money by Friday afternoon.
"I know if I play well I'm going to win, but I have not looked at the field and there are a lot of good players there," he said.
"I made a few cuts and played pretty steady in the Pro-Ams in Canberra and had a win the other day, which was nice. But I'm probably still in the same boat (regarding my wrist) really because I'm still nursing it and trying to stop my swing from getting too long, so it's a bit frustrating.
"Last year I went to America and played Nationwide (Tour) and it really sort of hurt me there because you've really got to hit a lot further rather than straight.
"I found it a bit tougher last year than I have before in previous years - I have just cruised through and got my card, but last year it opened my eyes up a bit.
"But I said the other day I'd like to have a couple of wins because you kind of forget that feeling, even some of the guys on the US tour go back to Europe and get their confidence back."
The father of four is currently tied 10th on the NSW order of merit and is 42nd outright on the Australian order of merit.
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