Golf-Attitude a prime factor on secondary U.S. tour

By Andrew Both July 16 (Reuters) - Nobody on the secondary Web.com Tour really wants to be there, but a positive attitude can make all the difference for veterans and rookies alike. Mathew Goggin and Smylie Kaufman are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Goggin, a 41-year-old Australian, has been on and off the U.S. PGA Tour for 15 years while American Kaufman is in his first season as a pro after leaving college last year. Both players are on track to finish in the top 25 on the money list and earn promotion to the PGA Tour next year, although Kaufman (11th) is more secure than Goggin (25th), whose form has dipped since he won the first event of the season. They also arrived on the Web.com Tour by very different routes. Goggin was relegated from the main tour while Kaufman avoided the mini-tour route and progressed immediately to the second-highest level of golf in the United States. Goggin has career earnings of more than $7 million, and in 2009 led the British Open at Turnberry through 63 holes before finishing two shots off the pace in an event best remembered for Tom Watson's playoff loss. Six years later, the two-time PGA Tour runner-up is playing in front of sparse crowds. At the recent Rex Hospital Open in North Carolina, Goggin's first round gallery consisted of three people -- the scorer, a friend of another player and a journalist. "It's more fun to play in front of more people but you always feel like there's unfinished business," the Australian told Reuters. "If I'd had an unbelievable career, I'd probably find it harder (to get motivated). "I might think I don't really need to be doing this, but when you still feel like you have something to prove or you want to get back out on tour and have another good run and win a tournament or two, it's a bit easier to keep your head focused." PSYCHOLOGICAL STRUGGLE Goggin struggled psychologically in 2012 after his trainer and friend Ramsay McMaster died suddenly at the age of 49. "He had kids and it's been a horrible situation," Goggin said. "You're looking to do great things for the kids and I put too much pressure on myself and just didn't play well. "I tried too hard, lost a lot of confidence and then lost my card." Kaufman, 23, is barely half Goggin's age and therefore does not have to cope with the self-doubt of wondering whether his best days are gone. After graduating from Louisiana State University, he started 2015 without full exempt status but finished fourth playing on a sponsor's invitation at the Louisiana Open in March, and has never looked back. Two events later, he won. He plans to use the remainder of 2015 to learn the ropes of being a professional, on and off the course, after being spoon-fed during his college days. "It's all different to college," he said. "At college, we got picked up, taken to the airport, got on a private plane, went to the course, everything was done for us. "Now you have to do everything, organise everything. It's difficult for some guys but I enjoy it. I like to be organised. "This is my first year in the routine of Monday to Sunday, figuring out how my body works and what's best for me. "I'm just trying to use the rest of the year building for next year for the PGA Tour. The more I learn out here this year, the better I'll be next year." While Kaufman's optimism is palpable, Goggin just wants one more crack at the big time. "This is what I do," Goggin said. "Having had some opportunities and not won, I feel if I get another opportunity I can win on (the PGA Tour) and that's the ultimate goal. "Obviously you play to make some money but the real satisfaction will come if I win a tournament on tour." (Editing by Gene Cherry/Mark Lamport-Stokes)