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By Dave Lagarde
PGATOUR.com Correspondent

One thing you can say about Doug LaBelle II. He is PGA TOUR rookie whose sense of timing is impeccable.

Need a for instance?

Blocking out a lot of potential distractions has helped Doug LaBelle stay focused on the golf course. (Chris Condon/PGA TOUR/WireImage)

The 2006 Nationwide Tour graduate played some of his best junior golf during the summer between his junior and senior years in high school. His selection as an American Junior Golf Association All American opened the eyes of college golf coaches around the country and paved the way for a scholarship to the University of New Meixco.

How about another?

LaBelle was in a quandary following his junior year at New Mexico. He always thought professional golf would be his career choice since he was 12 and his grandfather, Gene Knight, brought him to the Buick Open in Grand Blanc, Mich. But he began to have serious doubts about whether he could cut it. He took a flier on Monday qualifying for the Buick Open, near his hometown of Lansing. He made it through the four-spotter and forever erased the doubts about whether pro golf was for him.

O.K., here's one more.

LaBelle spoke to several seasoned PGA TOUR veterans, picking their brains for the best advice they could give him, prior to the 2007 season. To a man, each said it was important to play well on the West Coast. That would put you in the best position possible when the TOUR makes its first reshuffle.

So all LaBelle does is close with 66-65 on the weekend of the Sony Open, the first full-field event of the year. He finishes in a heady tie for fourth, earns $204,750 and never gives a second thought to this reshuffle business.

"That took a lot of pressure off my shoulders,'' LaBelle said of his timely Saturday-Sunday performance, particularly the closing 65 that remains his career best. "I've been able to play a lot more events than some of the other guys.''

By other guys, LaBelle means his fellow Nationwide Tour graduates as well as the 40 who made it through the grind that is the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. When 61 players are tossed into the mix, it's easy to get lost in, well, the reshuffle. Meanwhile, LaBelle has been able to set a schedule and play just about whenever he pleases as he goes about his business of learning the ropes on the most competitive circuit in the world.

LaBelle has taken a simple approach to his task. He attempts to block out his surroundings, his playing partners and the venue, telling himself it's just another tournament at just another golf course with just another group of golfers.

"I think I've been able to do that fairly successfully,'' said LaBelle, who steadily improved in four seasons on the Nationwide Tour, culminating with his first victory in the Price Cutter Charity Championship and 15th place finish on the money list in 2006. "I don't feel awed in any way.''

Well, that's not exactly accurate. There was one time LaBelle was taken aback by his surroundings. It came while LaBelle, one of the last players to make it into the field of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, stood on the first tee prior to the first round.

"All of a sudden there was a commotion, cameras and people were everywhere, '' he said. "I wondered what was going on and then I saw Mr. Palmer walking to the tee.''

LaBelle admitted being puzzled about the proper thing to do. Then the light came on. He walked over to Palmer, shook his hand, introduced himself and said, "Thank you so much. I appreciate you being here.''

And LaBelle, no doubt, also appreciates simply being there after four years on the Nationwide Tour, where he displayed steady improvement in his climb to the PGA TOUR. Here's the thing, he loves his new digs but he also remembers where he came from to get there.

"The Nationwide Tour is a tremendous place to play,'' said LaBelle, who made 113 starts, racking up 25 top 25s while never earning less than $104,000. "Honestly, there's not much difference between the quality of competition between it and the PGA TOUR. The purses and perks are better up here, though.''

LaBelle, like so many other professionals, had a hard choice to make during the 2005 season. While his game was showing gradual improvement, he knew it likely had leveled off so he decided to make swing changes that might work to his benefit. He struggled that season, but it is obvious the decision was the correct one.

"I was lucky to keep my (Nationwide) card in 2005, but things paid off in 2006 with the changes,'' he said.

There're still paying dividends now as LaBelle has banked $533,055, good for 125th place on the '07 money list and a spot in the first edition of the FedExCup Playoffs, and still has his sights on bigger and better things in the immediate future.

"I think I'll need about $700,000,'' LaBelle said when asked for an approximate amount of cash he must earn to maintain his PGA TOUR status in 2008. "But my goal is $1.2 million. I believe that would put me inside the top 70, where all kinds of additional doors would open.''