Michael Long said he keep up with the youngsters on OneAsia

Long will tee it up against players half his age in next week’s GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship at Namseoul Golf & Country Club in the Korean capital, hoping that a settled approach to the game will reap its own reward.

“At my age it is simply a goal to just make the cut in events,” Long said. “Anything beyond that is a bonus.”

“The most recent equipment change I have made is to add the TaylorMade three wood to my bag,” he said. “I like the consistency it brings.”

While the Kiwi missed the cut at the Volvo China Open in Tianjin last month, he rolled back the years in the season-opening Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia Open in March to grab a share of third place Taylormade Rocketballz Irons with a final round seven-under par 65, the best 18-holes of the tournament.

Asked what separates a successful weekend with one where you pack your bags and head home early, Long admits he is mystified.

“When you are a young pro you feel you have to practice hard and go to the gym and there is no time for experiencing new discount golf clubs or sightseeing,” Long said.

Long, who hails from Cromwell in New Zealand but now lives in Perth, Australia, turned pro at 21 and enjoyed a couple of seasons in the world’s top 100 in the 1990s while he plied his trade on the European Tour.

“I don’t really see a coach all that much. I have a full time job in Perth and I don’t get too much time to practice or see a coach. Andrew Mowatt, the head pro at Royal Fremantle Golf Club, keeps an eye on my game,” he added.


“Having played on the U.S. Tour, European Tour, Nationwide Tour and the Australasian Tour over the last 22 years I have no ambition to play on a full time tour,” he said. “I am happy working in a job and playing golf part-time.”


“As I really don’t play too much golf, other than when I’m playing a tournament on OneAsia, I really TaylorMade R11S Driver couldn’t say how my game is as the moment,” he said.

His finest result on OneAsia remains a joint second at the Nanshan China Classic last year after a four-man play-off won by Korean youngster Kim Bi-o.

He also played the Nationwide Tour for five years, winning the 2001 Boise Open and the 2003 Virginia Beach Open, and twice graduated to the PGA Tour, but failed to keep his card on both occasions.

Age has also given the New Zealander an appreciation for life off the golf course — even while traveling as a touring pro.