'SOCCER' SAVED MY CAREER - BEGAY - Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Four-time PGA Tour winner Notah Begay III has admitted he considered quitting golf before his love for sport was reawakened by football.

Begay joins the European Tour in 2007 and is now fully fit after suffering from depression as he spent nearly six years overcoming a back injury.

"(Football) gave me a passion to play again," Begay, 34, told BBC Sport.

"I just love it. To see the passion that fans have for their team reignited the passion I have for my golf."

The former Presidents Cup star watched Manchester United draw with Chelsea, Bolton beat Arsenal and West Ham's win over Sheffield United on television in the US last weekend.

The Native American has taken an unusual step in opting for the European Tour rather than playing on one of the US circuits but says one of the benefits will be the amount of football he can watch.

"I'm going to enjoy getting to see world-class football every week on the telly, so that's going to be a good part of my trips as well," he said.

Begay's enthusiasm for football saw him set up a soccer school for kids from his Native American community in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and he says it was a major part in his recovery from a torn disc in his lower back - one of the most serious injuries for a golfer.