Golf: Bigley eyes big week here and in South Carolina

Like the other 66 golfers who will tee off Wednesday at Shaker Ridge, Bryan Bigley has an eye on Erin Hills and the U.S. Open next month.

At 32, Bigley continues the grind of trying to make a living in professional golf.

[...] he is trying to get into whatever tournaments have room, hoping to play his way into a regular tour slot.

Bigley, a Schalmont High and Siena graduate, played in 18 Web.com tournaments last year, picking up two top-10 finishes and earning $59,318.

Golf's one of those things that you never know when you're going to get hot for a couple of months and play some great golf.

Skipping an event to which he has been accepted isn't a luxury for a player who frequently has to wait for the 11th-hour to see if a particular tournament has room for him.

Bigley recently passed the exam to sell insurance, which can help offset some of the expenses he incurs while trying to chace his golf dreams.

There is no longer a U.S. Senior Open qualifier in the Capital Region, but a handful of area players are among the 2,680 who will be trying to make the field in one of two 18-hole events Wednesday, May 24: one in Larchmont (Westchester County) and another in Salem, Mass.