Last updated 11:49, Wednesday, 24 September 2008

IMAGINE standing over an eight-foot putt knowing your whole future depends on it dropping in the hole.

It takes a special kind of temperament to be able to cope with the pressure and expectation – and that’s what sets a top pro apart from a high-handicap club golfer.

Gary Lockerbie, right, knew he needed to pull out all the stops in back-to-back tournaments in China and Kazakhstan if he was to have any chance to regaining his European Tour card after losing it last year after just one season.

The Cumbrian went into both Challenge Tour events with pressure piling up as the season reaches its climax – and nothing more than two top 10 finishes would have been good enough.

Many golfers might have buckled under the intensity of it all but Lockerbie managed to hold his nerve – and hole his putts.

He tied for second place in the Qingdao Golf Open in China and then went one better by wining the Kazakhstan Open over the weekend – a first professional victory for the former county player.

When the pressure was on, Lockerbie delivered. It has secured him a return to Europe’s top tour next season and re-establishes him as Cumbria’s top pro.

Lockerbie could have become just another young golfer, who became a one-hit wonder on the European Tour.

The guts and determination he showed in Kazakhstan will give him the luxury of being able to play in virtually every European Tour event next season.

Now he can look forward to teeing off again on sun-drenched fairways alongside Europe’s Ryder Cup players.

Cumbrian golf needs a player like Gary Lockerbie performing at the highest level to be the inspiration for the next generation of youngsters.