Putting the "Q" in "PRO"

Tuesday morning started like any other morning for me in Austin, except I knew a HUGE choice in my life was to be made before noon. Would I sign up for the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament (affectionately known as "Q School") to be held this fall? I phoned Robert Salas, as he has witnessed more of my recent golf than anyone breathing, and knows my game better than myself at times. I expected a longer conversation. I simply asked him "What do you think? Should I go?" Robert replied with a very confident "Of course! You have the talent, why not?" That was all that needed to be said. I went online and signed myself up for Q School 2010, and officially turned professional.

I want to take a moment here to describe two very strong emotions that came with this decision. The first is the very obvious excitement arising from a step in the direction of a childhood dream. The opportunity to do something like this is more than a lot of people could ever ask for and I feel blessed to have one. The second may be a little harder to understand. I cannot put into words how much I will miss amateur golf. It has meant so much to me and I truly do love the game, down to its very roots. If there are any golf historians reading along they are aware that there was a time, considered to be a much purer time for the game of golf, when it was very questionable to make the game your profession. In fact, it was almost dishonorable. I'm not saying that it is dishonorable today, but I do think there are too many "pros" out there and I put this decision off many times because I feared becoming another lackluster professional golfer.

I have no intentions of this. I have worked very hard on my game to this point in my life, and I still love it enough to work even harder and I will continue to do so until September 21st arrives and I tee it up on a quest for a PGA Tour Card. I will always continue to learn about my game and get better whether I am a professional or not. I am just too hungry for the confines of amateur golf. I have dreams of playing with and beating the best players in the world and you just can't do that as an amateur in today's game. Most of all I want to give back to the game, the people, and the communities that have given so much to me. That is the dream. That is the fuel that burns inside my heart every hour that I practice, every day.