Take a broad, sweeping glance over the professional golfing landscape these days and you'll quickly realise that there are more tours than you can shake a stick at.
And there's probably a mini-circuit for professional stick shaking out there somewhere.
To paraphrase that withered old footballing utterance, it's very much a case of have clubs will travel for an increasingly intrepid band of golfing adventurers who would give Judith Chalmers a run for her money in the destination hopping stakes.
James Ross is the latest young Scot to hit the road and try to seek his fame and fortune on foreign soil. Given that he's spent the last few years at the University of Texas in Houston, the Edinburgh exile is already well used to being away from his homeland but his newest venture will take him south of the border, down Mexico way . . . and possibly to Colombia, Honduras and Peru.
Having earned a conditional card for the PGA Tour Latino America, Ross, a former Scotland amateur cap, will be making something of a step into the unknown. Then again, turning pro itself is a bit of a leap of faith. "It was fairly daunting because there is no security whatsoever in becoming a self employed golfer," said Ross, who was the Scottish Golfer of the Year in 2013. "But I felt like I was ready and I had achieved a lot as an amateur. I'm fortunate to have some support from a donor to my old university and I still have my coach, Kevin Kirk. It's really important to have a good support system, especially when you turn pro and are far from home. Ever since I came to university in Houston in 2011 I knew I wanted to stay on here and play professionally once I graduated. Martin Laird and Russell Knox are certainly great inspirations for me as it shows that it can be done over here."
With that 'conditional' status, Ross will not be guaranteed a full schedule on a calendar that boasts 18 events but that has not deterred him. The top-five on the money list at the end of the season earn promotion to the Web.com Tour, the second-tier of the American professional scene, and Ross is eager to make the most of the opportunities that come his way in this game of opportunity. Nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say. "I was really keen to get on a tour with some sort of upward mobility," said Ross, who reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Amateur Championship in 2011. "There are lots of mini tours over here but you can't really progress upwards from these and the danger is that if you play too many of these events you feel uncomfortable when you tee it up in a bigger event. I'm not sure how many starts I will get but I'm going to make every effort to go to the events because all the tournaments have a Monday qualifier with between 10-15 spots available. Going forward I'm just very excited to be a part of a tour and travelling the world playing golf. I know it will not be as glamorous as some people may think, but it's my passion and I'm delighted to be able to do what I love. There is so much uncertainty attached to being a professional golfer but if I can keep trying to improve year-on-year, as has been the case the last five years or so, then I'll be going in the right direction."
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