Gamez playing PGA card game

Robert Gamez, battling injuries for the eighth straight year, is in danger of losing his PGA Tour card -- in effect, losing the only job he has held since he became a professional golfer in 1989.

But the native Las Vegan approaches his impending career crisis with the same laid-back style he exhibited talking with his fans or punching pitch shots during his "Summer Swing '98" charity golf tournament Monday at Angel Park Golf Club.

"I'm not worried about it," Gamez said of his 184th ranking on the PGA Tour earnings list. Only the top 125 retain their playing privileges for the following year.

Gamez, who has never finished lower than 89th in earnings since he earned Rookie of the Year honors on the PGA Tour in 1990, needs to earn approximately $160,000 in the final nine tournaments in order to keep his tour card for 1999.

Despite the fact the 30-year-old still has not completely recovered from a June automobile accident that landed him in a hospital with a bruised spleen, lacerated liver and an injury to his right hand, Gamez shrugs at what has to be considered a daunting challenge.

"I figure it's going to take about $210,000 to keep your card -- and I've got $57,000," he said. "I need to make (another) $160,000 or something like that. That's a couple good weeks and that shouldn't be a problem."

And if he should fail to retain his playing privileges?

"I'll get some exemptions," Gamez said. "I'm not even worried about it. I'm going to make enough and I feel like I've played enough out there and made some friends in some of the tournament directors that I should be able to get some exemptions."

Gamez said he doesn't believe his recent performance on the tour is indicative of the way he is capable of playing. After missing five weeks because of the injuries he sustained in the accident, Gamez has failed to make the cut in each of his last five tournaments.

"I'm still not able to hit the shots that I'm used to hitting, that's probably why I haven't been playing as well as I should have," he said. "I'm still sore in my back and my neck, and my hand is the big one that is bothering me.

"The last few weeks I've played better. I've had some good rounds but mostly (I missed) the competition because I was out for two months, total. I took three weeks off before the accident and had five weeks off (after) the accident."

As the tour schedule winds down, Gamez said he is confident that the tournaments coming up will allow him to earn enough money to keep his tour card.

"Coming up are some courses I really like and tournaments I really like," he said. "It's just a matter of relaxing and going out and doing it instead of worrying about it."

Although Gamez has not won a tournament on the PGA Tour since his two victories in his rookie season, he said he has not given up capturing another PGA Tour title.

"It's just a matter of getting lucky enough to get into the winner's circle -- that's all it is," Gamez said. "You look at a shot like Vijay (Singh) hit on 11 (in the final round of the PGA Championship): you need breaks like that to win.

"I have played well, I have had some solid finishes, I just haven't had that one break that got me over the hump. Plus, the competition is a lot better than it was (when I was a rookie). It all comes down to that and those lucky breaks, those one or two good breaks on Sunday that keep you in there."

And Gamez hopes to be in that position for a long time to come.

"I love this game," Gamez said. "As long as I can walk, as long as they'll let me play, I want to play."

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