John Stoltz was feeling right at home, playing a practice round at Trump International Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.
Stoltz, a 2002 Minisink Valley graduate, walked the greens before his PGA Tour debut with Justin Hicks.
Stoltz and Hicks played on the Gateway Tour in 2008 and 2009.
Hicks is back on the PGA Tour after playing web.com Tour events in 2012. He gives Stoltz hope of still chasing his childhood dream of making the PGA Tour on a permanent basis.
Stoltz, who has played six years on mini-tours, made the Puerto Rico Open by shooting a 6-under-par 66 in a qualifier Monday.
“I’ve wanted to play on the PGA Tour since I was a little kid,” said Stoltz from Puerto Rico Wednesday afternoon. “I knew I was good enough to do it once I started playing well in the local events. When I won the Met Open (in 2005), I was definitely good enough at that time but golf is a funny game.”
Stoltz’s first PGA Tour round starts at 1:10 p.m. Thursday. He’s paired with Brendon Todd and Miguel Suarez.
STORY: For more on Stoltz’s first PGA start, click here.
