From the U.S. Open to the Air Capital Classic

Ethan Tracy doesn’t know what city or which tournament he will be playing in next week.

Uncertainty is just part of the gig for professional golfers aspiring to earn their PGA Tour card. And right now Tracy, a 26-year-old Arkansas graduate, is living week-to-week in golf’s minor leagues searching for his breakthrough.

It could come this week when Tracy makes his Web.com Tour debut at the Air Capital Classic at Crestview Country Club, or it could not. It’s all part of the grind, and Tracy enjoys the process.

“You don’t know where you’re going to be every week and that’s all right,” Tracy said. “It’s hard to make your schedule very far in advance. Hopefully I can get to the point where I make my own schedule on the PGA Tour.”

Right now it depends on the week on which tour Tracy plays in. Last year he played regularly on the Mackenzie Tour in Canada and this season he has played on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica in Mexico.

Tracy wants to become a regular on the Web.com Tour, so the Air Capital Classic, which he is playing in on a sponsor exemption, is vital. He can automatically qualify in the next tournament’s field if he finishes in the top 25 of this one; if he doesn’t then he will have to play in a qualifier on Monday.

“You have to play every week because you can’t afford to take any time off for your career and for the money,” Tracy said. “You have to keep playing in whatever tournament you can find. It’s gets a little tiring, but that’s why I train hard so I can put in five or six weeks in a row.”

Tracy’s biggest victory came in 2011 when he won the Western Amateur, a tournament that includes past winners such as Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Phil Mickelson, and also notable because he defeated Jordan Spieth in match play along the way.

But his biggest accomplishment came last week when, in his first appearance in a major tournament, Tracy made the cut at the U.S. Open – the only player in this week’s field to have done so.

“I was there to focus on my golf and do well,” Tracy said. “It could do a lot for my career, so I just tried to stay focused on my golf. I was happy to make the cut, but unfortunately I didn’t have a good weekend. I felt like I learned a lot from it and hopefully I can come back again and keep learning.”

Tracy’s desire to join the PGA Tour can be traced to his youth in Central Ohio when he would attend the Memorial Tournament put on by Nicklaus, his idol. He remembers following the professionals and trying to emulate them the next day on the course.

He still carries that motivation with him through the grind required to reach his dream. Whether it’s back home, in a different country or in Wichita, Tracy makes sure he carries it with him to each round.

“The Memorial was where I found love for this game and I still have that passion to make it to the big time,” Tracy said. “I just have to put in the time and I’ll get there.”

This story was originally published June 22, 2016 at 6:02 PM with the headline "From the U.S. Open to the Air Capital Classic."