PERQUIMANS COUNTY, NC (WTKR)- Every golfer's dream is to play on the PGA Tour, but getting there is not as easy as guys like Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy make it look.
It's a grind for many players and the G-Pro Tour is where you'll find guys fighting their ways towards those dreams. Week in and week out, these golfers are working towards the same goal alongside each other.
"Just the competition and the people you meet along the way," said G-Pro golfer Shane Rogan said of the tour. "The friends you make, they last a lifetime."
"It's good to share that fellowship," Ryan Sullivan added. "At the same time, when it's go-time, you're trying to do what you're trying to do and friendships go out the window. It's all about trying to win."
42 hopeful up-and-coming stars are trying to do just that this week at Albemarle Plantation. As the players look to card the lowest scores possible, the community looks to be at the top of its game as well. The members look forward to providing that southern hospitality, which makes this event stand out above the rest to the golfers.
"The red carpet, so to speak, is not rolled out from the membership," Sullivan said of other tournaments. "It's the complete opposite here. Everybody really looks forward to having the guys in town and it's a mutually beneficial week for the members and the players."
"They all support us and come out and watch us, they put us up in their houses for the week," added Rogan. "It saves us a lot of money, a lot of headaches."
Fans of the game will see plenty of high-level action during the three-day tournament, even some guys they'll almost certainly see on TV down the road in PGA events. It's a chance for those who appreciate the sport to enjoy some pro talent. Sullivan will try to qualify for the U.S. Open in the coming weeks, so he's an example of a player with the potential to climb the ladder.
"It's not that far-fetched to think you'd come out and see a guy like me this week and then I could be teeing it up with the world's best in three weeks time in Pinehurst," he noted.
"You can't shoot low enough," Rogan pointed out about the course. "You always need one more birdie, but you're going to see some really good golf this week."
It's going to be a treat for those lining the fairways to get a glimpse of the action. For the players, it provides another opportunity to take one more step towards their ultimate destination.
"We want to play with and compete against the best players in the world," Rogan said. "I think that's what we're all looking for here."
"Everyone wants to get there as soon as possible," noted Sullivan. "I would've liked to have been there on a more steady basis five, six years ago, but I guess it just makes it sweeter when you do get there."
The G-Pro Albemarle Championship tees off Thursday morning and runs through Saturday.
